The Delta Riggs kicked off their latest tour in Brisbane on Friday night, bringing with them a stack of great Aussie acts and some new material from their upcoming record.
Making their way up from the Gold Coast, Eliza and the Delusionals kicked it all off with their pop punk sound. A new wave of female led punk appears to be on the rise, about to break all over the Australian music scene, and Eliza and the Delusionals are riding high on the crest.
Eliza is looking strong as the frontwoman, providing her signature vocals and her frantic fretting providing a few broken strings over the course of 'Jackie'. Special mention also goes to the guitarist, who provided stellar intensity over the course of the set. The high energy carried over into the sound, the entire set was lifted by his performance, especially during 'Deep End'.
Expect to see Eliza and her Delusionals all over the place during 2019, so, have a listen to 'Salt' and 'Cigarette'. They're your best bet for a great singalong.
Bec Sandridge is going to polarise a lot of people. Her layered vocals and mouth sounds are certainly not something I personally hear a lot of, and at times can be a little overwhelming. Her dancing is both bizarre and mesmerising, a kind of aggressive prance across the stage.
But that is also what makes seeing Bec such a unique experience. Her casual discussions with the crowd about how she has been working on her Bon Jovi impersonation was a particular highlight. I can only hope it means the inclusion of Jovi cover in the future.
We learnt quite a bit from Bec's chats, including a potential spotting of Pauline Hanson on Bec's flight in to Brisbane. Seems she won't be voting for Pauline, as she dedicated 'You're a Fucking Joke' to the politician.
Bec works best though when it is all stripped back. Her solo performance of 'Animal' captured and refined what is great about the song, her vocal control adding to key points in the lyrics, making it more emotive.
There will be more Bec Sandridge to digest soon, as she mentioned that her album will be out soon. We were told it will have 11 songs. You may have heard it here first.
I said last year that if Tiny Little Houses were back in Brisbane, I would be seeing them. By pure coincidence, I was actually a man of my word.
Tiny Little had been on break from touring since late last year, so, this was their first time playing together in a while. And they were a little rusty. In their drummers defence, I also cannot remember the beat to 'Short Hair'. I also cannot play drums.
It was all good fun though, with their catchy, aggressive lyrics really making it fun and easy for the crowd to singalong. 'Garbage Bin' is structured just right for you to yell it all out. It is cathartic in a lot of ways.
Not sure what Tiny Little Houses have planned after this tour. I want to believe the break in touring was to record new material, but that is probably just wishful thinking. Tiny Little, if you are reading this, I want more, I want more dammit!
Some bands start off slow and work their way up. Others start with a hit song to get the crowd moving. Then there are those rare bands that just set the place on fire and see where the night takes them.
That type of band is The Delta Riggs.
The lights came up, the band chucked two huge inflatable flamingo pool toys into the crowd and cut into 'No Friends'. Things only escalated from there. Beer was split as the crowd jumped up for 'Baddest Mothefucker In The Beehive' and as planned, the flamingos were being surfed across the heads of the punters below.
Frontman Elliot Hammond was everywhere throughout the night, jumping onto the drums at one moment, the next, the keyboard. Then he busted out a synthesizer mic to reverb his vocals across the room for 'Bobby's Flowers'. Hugs and highfives were given freely to the fans in the front row.
Details were also mentioned of a new album, with what I could hear over the crowd, may include reference to the "pink flamingos".
Tiny Little guitarist Shaun came out to assist with the acoustic guitar on 'Fake That', which helped cool things down after the one-two song combo of 'The Record's Flawed' and 'Supersonic Casualties'.
Elliot said that he still loves to play 'Supersonic Casualties' live, even after all the years. And who can blame him, it is a great song, which is even greater live.
'Never Seen This Before' was the standout of the closers, really bringing the whole show to an illustrious conclusion. Hopefully Elliot and the rest of the band didn't go too hard too soon with this show, but, I doubt it. They have stamina for days.
The tour is only just starting, so, get out there and get amongst it.
Just be careful if you decide to ride a flamingo.
Photography by Emma Johnstone