With an insatiable appetite for live music, I'm frothing for Uncaged Festival to unleash its reworked line-up of predominately hard and heavy bands on the Eatons Hill Hotel Grand Ballroom stage (24 April). Bring it!
Kicking off to the brunch-time arrivals are five-piece Sydney band, The Black Cardinals. Lead singer Craig 'Cas' Cassar is thanking people for coming along, sharing that he's from Capalaba and invites a punter from there on stage to sing with him.With the invitation declined the band get on with giving us a set of alternative rock sounds with a bluesy feels. I get why The Black Cardinals are amassing fans at great speed.
Two standout songs in their set are their new song 'Broken Man' vibing with a country blues-esque lyricism and swampy-rock mood, the vocals are particularly strong; the other is their closing song that I heard being introduced as 'Demon Scream My Name'.
The Black Cardinals - image © Clea-marie Thorne
I Built The Sky are up next. Whoa! Late arrivals will be missing out. Instrumental prog, metal-rock is filling our lungholes and it is complete.
The atmosphere being evoked has me thinking I'm keen to know the influences behind the arrangements, which are a magical carpet ride that at times gets a bit like rocking on a turbulent sea but all the while feels safe.
There are even jazzy guitar bits, not to mention a notable drum solo and hectic bassline in their last piece. I will be checking this band out some more.
The crowd kept building with Dead City Ruins taking to the stage. This Melbourne-based crew of hard rock showmen complete with hair everywhere and tandem guitar stances, are starting the party with 'Devil Man' and its distinctive, catchy opening riff and big drums followed by 'Vision'.
With a set list of rolling rhythms and riffage overload being played, I was worried they might leave their high-energy banger 'Preacher' off the set list today. We cheer as they deliver this towards the end of the set. Thanks, legends!
Dead City Ruins - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Indie rockers End Of Fashion bring a different vibe to the stage.
Punters are taking in an old favourite 'O Yeah' along with 'Ruby Lips' and 'Rough Diamonds'; I note the crowd has pretty much doubled since the first act and are fully engaged with the band contributing to the energy of the room.
Before opening The Meanies spend a minute perfecting the sound; it has to be just right, mediocre will just not do! They open with 'You Know The Drill'. Indeed we do, as we set about bouncing along to their tunes getting pumped.
I'm in awe and impressed as they play their set including 'Darkside Of My Mind', 'Punching The Air' and 'Round In Circles'.
The Meanies - image © Clea-marie Thorne
The Meanies have been the perfect lead in for The Hard-Ons fronted by Tim Rogers, who swaggers out on stage to front the band who despite starting out four decades ago still belt it out and thrash out a set as hard as.
That is all and that is all you need to know. Everyone has or has to experience an amped-up Hard-On set.
Alternative rockers The Getaway Plan follow to hit us from the stage with 'The Reckoning' followed by 'Landscapes' and 'New Medicine'. The crowd easily switches to a changed tempo and groove to The Getaway Plan's melodic set list right up until their closing song 'City'.
28 Days, Bodyjar, Magic Dirt and Killing Heidi can do no wrong on stage. The timeless classics, polished and unique stage presence of these bands and their front persons always make for killer sets, vibrant energy that has fans going wild for their hits and signature sounds.
This is stuff that has you revisiting memories while making new ones. It's great to be alive, ain't it?
Twelve Foot Ninja - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Twelve Foot Ninja dressed in their dreadful '80s outfits are igniting the stage with 'Start The Fire' with the energy and dynamism they always bring. TFN are cranking through their set including the sing-along 'Oxygen', 'Over And Out', 'Invincible' and 'Long Way Home'.
Tonight is bittersweet for us fans in the crowd. It's the last time we may see Nik 'Kin Etik' Barker fronting TFN.
When Barker is introducing band members to the packed crowd, he in turn is introduced as "Nik on vocals" we fans scream out loud for him and he's getting little emotional.
Barker tells us in an ocker accent: "I f...ing love yous all [crowd cheers]. You're gonna make me cry," before turning away from the crowd. He has now turned back around and tells us to "take out your money" as the band start to play 'One Hand Killing' and we're singing along so loudly with him the first line: "Now put your money where your mouth is. . ." for the final song of their set.
Tex Perkins and the Fat Rubber Band takes it down a notch; not to say they're less entertaining, just not coming at you like a bull in a china shop.
Perkins growl and guitar play is always solidly backed the band and tonight is no exception as they open with 'Pay The Devil's Due' and other bangers such as 'Place In The Sun', 'Everything Is Gonna Be Funky', and The Cruel Sea's 'The Honeymoon Is Over' before ending the set with 'For A Love Long Gone'.
Tex Perkins and The Fat Rubber Band - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Shihad are undoubtedly a live band first and foremost – whether they think so or not, I sure do!
A frenzy of movement with their uptempo hard rock infects you with a vim and vigour that has punters moving, moshing and long-time fans singing along. Kicking off with the fuzziness of 'Tear Down Those Names' we get a bunch of belting bangers that include 'Think You're So Free', 'My Mind Sedate', 'Feel The Fire' and 'Home Again'.
At home they truly are on the stage. I am truly hoping these guys will tour more often.
You Am I collectively has the master of style, and its frontman Tim Rogers is a man of many hats, many personas and many talents.
Starting us off with their rocking banger 'Rumble' ahead of power-pop favourite 'Good Morning', fans get their groove on and punters are bopping along with smiles on their dials and a bit of pogoing to 'Mr Milk'.
Closing with 'Heavy Heart' and the timeless classic 'Berlin Chair' that reeks of 1990 and truly belongs on their album 'Sound As Ever' as it truly is an everlasting hit.
You Am I - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Wolfmother are the last taking to the stage tonight and Andrew Stockdale is making a massive effort for the fans by making his way on sage with a fractured knee (don't hold me to the knee part – it may be his ankle).
With Stockdale unable to make all the cool moves onstage I notice his counterpart out front cuts loose with the guitar moves that are enough for both of them, leaving Stockdale to perform in front of his mic, yet he still manages to give us those rock poses that are not going to injure him further.
His guitar work is not suffering one iota and his voice is brilliant.
A superb set starting with 'Dimension' and 'Woman' taking us on a path to 'Feeling Love', 'Apple Tree', 'Higher' among others before ending with 'Joker', which has the crowd going ape and leaving us high as a kite.
Wolfmother - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Phewee! What a day and night – more than 12 hours of live music bliss taking us into wee hours of Monday morn. Things just don't get better than this especially with bar staff and security who were all about doing their jobs well and in a most friendly manner. Cheers for that.
This Uncaged gathering has brought together a hoard of free range folk giving off the greatest of vibes that contributed to a heck of a lot of chumminess among the punters.
Many new friends were made tonight as well as the reuniting of familiar faces from gigs gone by – I for one, experienced both scenarios.
View the complete Uncaged Festival Brisbane photo gallery.
Uncaged has given punters a no restraints, cranking festival partee through its all-star line-up from freaking woe to go. I look forward to the organisers liberating more acts for our audible and visual delight at a future Uncaged events.
C'mon! You can do it – let's get loose again!
