Feedback squealed from the speakers at Brisbane's The Zoo (2 September), overwhelmed by the turbo-charged riffing of Magic Dirt.
As frontwoman Adalita Srsen pushed her jet-black mane out of her eyes after whipping it around, guitarist Raul Sanchez tells the crowd this gig is their first Brisbane headline show since reforming in 2018."Deano would've been so porud," Adalita added, referring to their late bassist and founding member, Dean Turner. "He loved sticking his guitar into The Zoo's ceiling."
In recent years, the Geelong rockers have been revisiting their past, rereleasing their early albums and EPs. For their long-awaited return to Brisbane, the band are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their second album, 'Young & Full Of The Devil', by playing it track for track in-full. While older, Magic Dirt still have their devilish magic.
"We're all going to die but maybe that's just fine," sang Milla Stewart-Long of Byron Bay trio Loose Content. It's a downer of a lyric, but the tune around it is a rocker as sharp as the vocalist's peroxide-blonde bob.
Their entire set was filled with songs honed to perfection, ranging from psychedelic to hooky bops like 'Sheepshagger'.
Towards the end of their tight set, Milla mentioned new songs and accompanying tour scheduled for the end of the year. Based on this set, those are not to be missed.
Phones shot up from the crowd, ready to capture the insanity of local supports Gentle Ben And His Shimmering Hands. Frontman Ben Corbett was originally scheduled to perform with SixFtHick, the legendary local band he fronts with his brother Geoff.
Unfortunately, illness kept SixFtHick at bay, and Ben did the work of two Corbetts, thrashing and howling across the stage.
Despite the danger of Ben's mania, the crowd drew in closer, putting their phones away to better take in this amazing performance.
Magic Dirt's set began softly with 'Young & Full Of The Devil' opening track 'Babycakes'. Soon, Adalita's whisper became a howl, and the soft strum roared into heavy riffing, massive drums, and Raul working his wah pedal until it screeched.
Andre Fazio's fast drum roll signalled the start of 'She-Riff', and Adalita and Raul's guitars squealed and heaved. "I'm not a party girl," snarled Adalita, but that didn't mean the crowd weren't ready to party.
The crowd turned into a mosh, but likely restrained compared what would have erupted 25 years ago. Pushing and shoving was gentler, but age didn't dampen any of the fun that was being had.
As the set progressed, it became clear how unusual it was to be celebrating this particular album. Compared to the bigger hits that followed, 'Young & Full Of The Devil' is a feral album full of long and noisy guitar jams, and ends with the sound of all of their effects pedals turned on and plugged into a burning amp (sadly, not recreated live).
However, Adalita revealed what made this album so special. "This was the first album Raul played and recorded with us," she said. "Biggest mistake of my life," Raul joked. "Nah, Magic Dirt wouldn't have gone beyond 1998 without Raul," zipped back Adalita.
After Adalita and Raul finished the main set with album closer 'Ascot Red', Andre and bassist Steve Patrick returned for a set of their hits, opening with their first big single, 'Redhead'.
As the last squeal of feedback from 'Sparrow' faded, trouble seemed to be brewing in the crowd. Adalita noticed someone in the crowd and asked, "Do you want to get that looked at?" It was unclear what happened, but the band seemed tense and attempted to calm things down. "We're just here to have a good time," said Raul. "Alright, we're going to play a fun time tune."
As the opening lick of 'Plastic Loveless Letter' kicked in, security paid closer attention to the crowd. Thankfully, the song choice seemed to have calmed any tension, and the crowd shouted the chorus, free of any cares.
Returning for an encore, Adalita dedicated their last song to "a f...ing awesome Brissie band," launching into the legendary riff of The Saints' '(I'm) Stranded'.
The floorboards quaked from the stomping in the mosh, and Adalita stood on the drum riser and pushed her guitar into The Zoo's ceiling. Deano would be proud.
