Not even the muggiest North Queensland wet season could deter Townsville fans from lining up to get into the Dalrymple Hotel (5 February) for Everclear's 30th anniversary tour.
It was the first time the Portland rockers had returned to the city since 2020's Hotter Than Hell festival, and the band were certainly reminded of the tropical summer weather on this visit, too.The band met with around a dozen fans, who had purchased VIP tickets, earlier in the night, signing merch and posters, taking photos and performing a few acoustic songs for the lucky group.
Mackay band Systematic Machine opened official proceedings with a large and enthusiastic crowd. Kicking off their set with original track 'MILF Hunter', the four-piece quickly won over the locals, with many asking about their Spotify and social media presence throughout the set.
Systematic Machine - image © Jade Kennedy
Not even bassist Lachlan Wood's broken finger slowed the band down as they tore through a 40-minute set comprised mostly of originals, including the band's latest single 'Billy'.
Being the crowd-pleasers they are, the band also threw in a cover of Violent Soho's 'Covered In Chrome' and closed the set with their energetic cover of Rage Against The Machine's 'Bulls On Parade', both of which were cheered by the punters.
With a 30-year back catalogue, extending through 10 studio albums, Everclear can easily throw together an all-killer, no-filler set list.
Everclear - image © Jade Kennedy
Kicking off their set with the title track from 1997's 'So Much For The Afterglow', the band – led by 60-year-old vocalist Art Alexakis – mixed commercial hits with deep cuts for almost 90 minutes.
Alexakis joked with the crowd: "I only know dad jokes," and introduced songs with anecdotes and relatable experiences about parenthood and dodgy waitstaff.
Everclear - image © Jade Kennedy
Accompanied by bassist Freddy Herrera, guitarist Dave French and newest member of the band, drummer Brian Nolan, Alexakis delivered a solid performance despite at times sounding somewhat hoarse.
Luckily, the crowd was more than happy to deliver extra backing vocals, loudly accompanying the band on tracks like 'Father Of Mine', 'Wonderful', 'I Will Buy You A New Life' and 'Santa Monica'.
Everclear - image © Jade Kennedy
While some crowd members said they were hoping for one or two of Everclear's cover songs, like 'Every Breath You Take' by The Police, nobody went home disappointed with the selection of original tracks the band performed.
More photos from the show.
