After catching Electric Callboy at Good Things 2022, I could not miss the opportunity to get another fix.
The entire Australian tour sold-out months in advance – now that's telling you how many other Aussies were quick to nab tickets and get their booties along to Electric Callboy.As I enter Eatons Hill Hotel (1 December), I walk past many colourful fans in mullet wigs, retro exercise gear, party get-up and other neon or acid-dripped regalia.
First up are the five-piece Future Static from Melbourne, who'll be psyching us up for party mode. However, right at this moment they're politely bopping around on the stage in good humour waiting for someone to kill the house music.
After a couple of minutes, they are definitely getting on with business with Amariah Cook (vocals) giving us a brutal start to 'Waves'. Cook's gut-wrenching screams immediately grabs your attention then she changes her vocals to soaring clean vocals in an instant and perfectly.
'Venanosa' is followed by 'Chemical Lobotomy', an alternative pop-infused metalcore banger. A standout for me is next, 'The Hourglass'. It is simply wild and cuts sick with an etheric bridge that contrasts to the breakdowns while the diverse backing vocal tones of Ryan Qualizza (guitar) and Kira Neil (bass) adds a depth that works so well, not to mention how well they also harmonise together.
Future Static - image © Clea-marie Thorne
The dialogue from Cook at this moment is a bit muddy and I cannot make out if she is calling for a circle pit or wall of death. Whichever it is, Future Static fans in the pit are obeying her command and there is movement to get ready to engage with the song 'Roach Queen'.
Cook introduces us to their last song 'Dead End' and it is a deadset cracker. It won't be long before they're touring their own big scale headline tours. If you don't believe me, just let their album 'Liminality' loose in yer ear lugs!
Taking the stage next are Stockholm band Self Deception, with all eyes darting to Patrick Hallgren (bass) who is hamming it up with a wardrobe that would have him right at home in a tiki bar or poolside at Cabana Club anywhere!
'Smoke You Out' gets the blood pumping as does 'TicToc' that follows and the mosh pit flips into a frenzied state of head-banging chaos. Andreas Ollson (vocals) stops to ask us "How ya doing tonight?" and recounts that they had to charter a plane to get to the show tonight, so they are stoked to be here. So are we!
'The Scandinavian Dream' is lapped up by the fans in the crowd as is 'Intoxicated Haze' and 'Stockholm Hearts'.
Hallgren's pink cowboy hat is not the only headgear to appear during the set; there is a drinking hat with straws and Erik Eklund (drums) has been showing off his impeccable tub talents tonight started out with the faceless mask used in their videos and later wore a huge middle finger cap (homage maybe to EC, if you have seen their videos).
Spinning us out with a cover of 'The Look' by Roxette, I couldn't believe we all still could recall the words and happily joined in.
Self Deception - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Olsson invites Future Static's Cook onstage to sing a song with them – and their vocals work so bloody well together, I think they should collaborate on something if they have not already. I'm not sure if this happened at other shows, but it is definitely a treat for fans from both bands.
Self Deception easily kept the vibe high and energy constant, so much so that Olsson had to remove his sweat-drenched shirt. Closing out the set with their scorcher 'Fight Fire With Gasoline' leaves punters panting and sweating profusely. The band had us pose for a quick snap with them before leaving us to anticipate the headliners.
I'm aware that due to family reasons, like the Sydney show, Kevin Ratajczak (keys, vocals) won't be joining Electric Callboy tonight. The rest of the band: Daniel 'Danskimo' Haniß (guitar), Pascal Schillo (guitar), Daniel Klossek (bass), David Friedrich (drums) and Nico Sallach (vocals) are all in town though.
This means Sallach is left to also cover Ratajczak's parts in his absence, unless some of the band members step up. We shall see.
Anticipation is building as the stage goes dark. Ripples of excitement can be felt in the air and bouncing off the venue walls. The din changes to cheers and whistles while mobiles phones are held high as fans notice the digital backdrop comes to life.
The video of the public service announcement that introduces the band is only heard faintly above the excitable crowd. That is until: "You are almost ready for take-off and expected to party hard in less than a minute. So, please make sure that your best band moves are available at all times. We are currently testing the energy of the crowd so please put your hands up. . . Now it's time for take-off. Let's go!"
We are quick to jump aboard the 69EC Service 'Tekkno Train' clapping along and are heading off feet first jumping to the techno beats as we start our trip through the EC set list.
Electric Callboy - image © Clea-marie Thorne
The crowd chants all the band member names as they arrive onstage. Cannons are blasting streams of confetti from the front of the stage as the instruments kick in. There must be very few punters who are not singing in unison to the whole song. Deep growling voices can also be heard helping Sallach and the lads with Ratajczak's parts and from the get-go, you can bet it is as hectic as.
'MC Thunder II (Dancing Like A Ninja)' has Sallach lifting his leg in a Mr Miyagi crane stance and Danskimo and Hanniss ninja posing some roundhouse variants with their axes.
'Spaceman' and 'Hate/Love' are backed up with a Cascada cover, 'Everytime We Touch' and I think this is the first time I am noticeably missing Ratajczak's forceful pipes. That doesn't mean Sallach doesn't have the vox chops – he absolutely does! The whole band is making sure we are more than compensated for their missing member.
'The Scene' is emitting some high octane in the air entering our veins and fans sing and spell out "T H E S C E N E " and aggressive lyrics. This song reminds me of a little homage to Faith No More's 'B-E A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E'. Arms are pumping while bodies are grooving and dancing.
Electric Callboy - image © Clea-marie Thorne
The merriment continues with the Germanic 'Castrop X Spandau' before Sallach is thanking us for being part of their sell-out tour and how he is so pleased at how ECs shows have become so diverse as he points out young punters and families in the audience.
Embracing the feeling of love, he tells us in return we are getting an 'Arrow Of Love'. A big bang of red confetti shoots from the six cannons and showers down upon us. You can take that as a metaphor if you will. Haha!
Friedrich, who has been drumming like a machine all night and standing up often to interact with the crowd, is now holding the spotlight with a drum solo of what I am told is a translation of part of Darude's 'Sandstorm'. The band help out and clap in parts. All in all, Friedrich is pretty damn impressive!
The other band members change up their get-up to add to the mood of the viral 'Hypa Hypa' that the party punters are calling in with "doo doo doo" followed by dancing hard to the electronic beats giving off high-energy feels.
The entire room is like revisiting the late '90s or early '00s and making a playlist of the music nuggets discovered on MySpace – with Electric Callboy being the band that is making you dance and mosh well into the wee hours of the morning like nobody is watching.
Electric Callboy - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Our energy is kept on high with 'Parasite' and some fun call and responses before the atmosphere in the room shifts again, this time turning into an '80s karaoke scene as metal loving punters join in with their very best pop ballad voices to sing 'I Want It That Way' (Backstreet Boys cover).
Throughout the set you can hear the collective audience singing with pretty good chops tainted with some slurry shoutings from those who get rowdy with a bit of liquor under their belt. Even then, those tipsy folk even get all the words right. The fact that most of the words to ECs tracks are satire and about getting drunk and partying means those inebriated vocals from the crowd work fine and dandy.
Sallach is asking the mosh pit dwellers to create a circle. Not a circle pit but is asking us to create a dance floor space and is now telling everyone to grab a partner for another big banger made for dancing, 'Hurrikan'.
There are cheers and a hell of a lot of body movement happening on the floor, at the bar and up on the mezzanine. Even some mullet wigs and sandshoes are flying over heads as is drink spillage. It's getting messy but the in the best party way possible.
Schillo rips of his headgear and gives the mic to Danskimo who introduces 'MC Thunder' claiming it might be their last song. Throwing the mic back to Schillo in no time we are hit with a tonne of heavy vibrations as they get stuck into the song. This is so much more intense live that I have a new admiration for this song they are pretending to end the night on.
Fans are quick to call the band back on stage with calls for "one more song" that fast morphs into loud "doooo do do do do dooooo do do do do...". We do not wait long and pure excitement is unleashed with another wardrobe change for 'Pump It'.
The band slogs it out as fans treat the floor as if it's hot lava as they jump on the spot, moshing and singing with a fully-charged second wind ignited by the encore. Fans on the mezzanine are also holding on to the rail and head-banging and shouting the words down at the band.
'Mindreader' is followed by a third encore song all of which are from the 'Tekkno' album. 'We Got The Moves' proves we are "addicted to the groove". EC in their bowl cuts and vests are the life of the party.
Electric Callboy - image © Clea-marie Thorne
I get there are some that don't dig EC, but I think they are just missing the point that this sold-out room of EC fans fully embrace. What a way to end a hectic work week. I love what they do tongue in cheek and it is such good fun.
Regardless of the lyrics, EC songs will become some of your favourite earworms with their very catchy riffs and vocal melodies you can't help but sing and dance to. An EC live show is an intoxicating blend of barraging rock & roll, techno beats and crushing metalcore that will at worst put a smile on your dial, and at best have you dressing up, testing out your best metal screams and melodious refrains while moshing like a wild beast.
Beneath the fun and mild theatrics, there's good music and creative arrangements tying it altogether. EC definitely have a gift of lifting you up and providing the energy that can help expel any anger or frustrations, leaving you feeling depleted of everything by the end of their set, which is everything except the experience of a ripper of a good time.
More photos from the show.
