A long line of black-clad fans snaked out of Brisbane's The Bearded Lady on Saturday night.
The line slithered slowly inside, past the sign announcing tonight's show (14 Seoptember) is sold-out. Hands reached into the box of necessary earplugs reading in black marker 'Help Yourself'.Within the crowded space, two photographers discussed there being another four or so photographers also there to capture what was predicted to be the mania of a Blind Girls' live show.
This year has been an incredibly busy year for the Gold Coast skramz band. After a hectic 2023 that included a 14-date US tour, the band returned Stateside for a mammoth 27-date tour. During this tour, the band released their excellent second album, 'An Exit Exists'.
Finally, the band have returned to Brisbane giving their new album a proper launch to a packed room of fans in dire need of their Blind Girls fix.
"[This] is a psycho show in nature, in my opinion," correctly predicted James Walker, guitarist for local openers Craning. The noise rockers cast the room into darkness, lit intermittently by the flashes of emergency lights across the stage.
The rattle of down-tuned bass strings and military snares became debris beneath the scratched metallic noise of James' guitar. Stomping across the stage was the silhouette of vocalist Isobel Tait, formerly of Doggie Heaven. Where that short-lived duo performed sweet synthpop, here Isobel channelled her inner feral, screaming and barking against the abrasive noise of her bandmates.
During soundcheck before a set from locals Naaki Soul, keyboardist Lexi Fitzgerald warmed up by playing a discordant take on Vanessa Carlton's 'A Thousand Miles'. It's a fitting precursor to the group's music, mixing shrill leads and screams within blasts of dreamy shoegaze melodies.
Songs bloomed from chiming guitars and the soft sighs of Anika Zhang, building in volume. At one point, Lexi battled her way from behind her keys to blast trumpet into the same mic that guitarist Isaac Downs gutturally screamed.
The quietest moment of the night came when Anika softly sighed about sunflowers. Her bandmates all sat quietly on the stage floor while she accompanied herself with a hushed strum. It was an intimate moment that was quickly decimated when her bandmates rejoined her, raising the volume until Anika's voice rose into screams.
A guitar's chimes softly breezed into the room at the start of Sydney band Doris' set. A strong gust of distortion overtook it as the band joined in, with vocalist Ziek Duong screaming from within his hoodie. Doris' set was dynamic, building from wintry slowcore trudges into icy blasts of noise.
Out front, Ziek and bassist Bronte Jenness faced each other, the latter sighing lyrics as Ziek repeated them by shrieking them into the air. For their final song, Ziek swapped places with drummer Charlie Dunn, while Naaki Soul's Isaac Downs joined on guitar.
Now shirtless, Ziek threw his body into every beat, losing himself to the building noise. A pit formed in the middle of the crowd, and Isaac abandoned Ziek's guitar, leaping in to mosh to Doris' last cry.
Feedback heaved and shrieked when Blind Girls switched on their guitars. Drummer Ben Smith blasted in at a berserk speed, powering the battle vocalist Sharni Brouwer waged against herself across the stage.
While eyes were on Sharni, a circle pit quickly boiled in the centre of the room. Fans ran the circle, shoving into each other at great speeds but all smiling. Band members restrained themselves and stood closer to the stage's walls, giving Sharni space to unleash the full force of her powers.
As she whipped her body around, Sharni shrieked and roared, sustaining her harsh vocals throughout Blind Girls' short yet powerful set. Finally, the confines of the stage weren't enough to hold Sharni, so she quickly slipped into the crowd.
Suddenly, the crowd moved from their pit to Sharni's direction, crowding her until she was buried beneath their sweating bodies. She shoved her microphone into the face of one fan who enthusiastically grabbed it with both hands and passionately screamed Sharni's lyrics, making the most of the moment before the band's well-deserved rest.
