Giants Of Science are the definition of a ‘Brisbane cult band’ if there ever was one.
Over the course of 20 years, the nerd rockers have impressed anyone who’s seen them live; I immediately became a fan after their late set at last year’s Dead Of Winter Festival.
Live shows have become rarer now, but hardcore fans came out in celebration of the band’s 20th anniversary show at Brisbane’s Crowbar (2 June).
Opening was the debut performance of The Falling Downs, featuring Giants bassist Matt Tanner. Their rock riffs may have been too powerful; they had to call time after their drummer warned of smoke coming from an amp.
Once everything was clear, they returned to the crowd’s delight, although punters kept a wary distance from the stage, just in case.
The crowd continued standing back through local punks Hee Haw’s hyperactive set. Their guitarist and bassist were curiously dressed as police officers, but attention quickly turned to the antics of their lead singer, who repeatedly leapt over the barricade to wander through the crowd while still playing snotty riffs.
Local rocker Sabrina Lawrie took the stage with a smaller version of her constantly-changing backing band The Hunting Party. Despite the smaller size, the group blasted in with a cluster of Zeppelin-esque riffs and Sabrina’s massive howl overtaking the venue.
After being sure there wouldn’t be any more hazards, the crowd moved closer to the stage for the Giants Of Science headline set.
While nearly 12 months had passed since their last gig, the band rocketed in on the dual riffing of ‘WFRC’, signalling they weren’t going to slow down for anyone, even overheating amps. “I got the hooks,” Ben Salter howled over the chugging riff of ‘I Got It’.
They also had the crowd wildly moshing through each super-charged tune, most of which came from their great debut album ‘Here Is The Punishment’.
Fans were also treated to a section of songs from their 2014 EP: “The most popular part of the set: the new stuff,” Salter joked. Self-deprecation aside, these songs proved just as popular with fans, especially the towering riff of ‘Tower Of Toowong’.
The Giants showed no sign of aging, proving far more active than their 20 years as a band suggests. Everyone thrashed around as they kept up with Steve Lynagh’s pummelling drums, and Ben Salter leapt into the air to land as he struck the final chord of ‘Sisters’.
“It’s good to see so many familiar faces here,” Ben said. That comment revealed how feverish Giants Of Science fans are, devoting themselves to never missing one of their rare gigs.
It may be some time before the Giants take the stage again, but shows as memorable as this will fuel fans until then.
