As a juxtaposition to last night's birthday festivities featuring Spiderbait, Crowbar Brisbane is alive and fierce with young spirit on a Saturday night.
Crowbar is decorated with black balloons, contrasting against the sea of pink and orange Buoys merch (20 December). My ears are still ringing from Spiderbait's total abuse of Crowbar's PA system (respectfully so). With my newfound company, however, I know my ears will be blessed by (suitably mixed) guitar solos.
Chloe Dadd takes the stage with Isobel Rabbidge (bass) to her right and Ruby Boland (drums) behind. Dadd's shimmering silver eyeshadow streak hints at her new EP 'Fading / Falling'.
The set is completely novel – new songs off the EP are played left, right and centre with supporters knowing nearly every song. Chloe Dadd also covers Crowded House's 'Don't Dream It's Over' with a synthesised neo-pop version. The crowd of all ages sings in solitude, coming together for the Aussie-Kiwi anthem.
Before finishing the set, Dadd asks: "Is anyone here gay? This one's about falling for a girl at the worst possible time." The crowd erupts in cheers as the EP's title track 'Fading / Falling' is played.
Dadd is no amateur to the stage. She leaps across all available space, lifting her guitar into the air with each solo and finishing each song with a jump. It's the perfect opener for The Buoys with Dadd, Rabbidge and Boland's eccentric stage presence and connection to every member of the crowd.
The Crowbar birthday celebrations continue – drinks are poured, friends converse, and anticipation heightens. I must admit, I am a biased writer tonight; in 2023, I travelled hours to see The Buoys because they weren't playing a gig in Brisbane.
Overall, my take on The Buoys is that they are incredibly humble. After seeing The Buoys for the first time at Mountain Goat Valley Festival a few years back, I ran into Zoe Catterall (vocals and rhythm guitar) in the bathroom at O'Skulligans.
As she was kindly alerting me to the lack of toilet paper in the women's bathroom, my friend and I gawked at the singer in front of us. So much so that she interpreted our reaction to her presence as an indication of something being wrong. She was too humble to assume we recognised her in the O'Skulligans bathroom.
That attitude is exactly what The Buoys brought to Crowbar tonight. Soon after Chloe Dadd's departure, Catterall, Hilary Geddes (lead guitar), Courtney Cunningham (bass) and Tess Wilin (drums) enter the stage for the most nonchalant soundcheck I've ever seen. Catterall and Geddes speak to fans in the front row, sharing the set list and having a yarn.
With a quick intermission, the four members re-enter the stage, waving and cheering at the fans in the crowd. The Buoys begin the set with 'Settle Petal', the first single from their 2024 debut album 'Lustre'.
Catterall and Geddes leave no opportunity for the crowd to settle into the set – Catterall fully expresses the sass of the single whilst Geddes owns the stage with her stunning guitar solos. No fan is left unnoticed either as each member plays on the barricade, giving attention to all sections of the crowd.
At this stage in the set, I start feeling like it is my birthday with the number of surprises The Buoys are giving me. Brisbane is dedicated the performance of 'Best Friend' for the first time in three years. Catterall belts the chorus, fully leaning into the annoyance of the lyrics 'you only say you love me when you've had a beer'.
At the song's completion, I feel a disturbance to my left, which I assume is another member of the crowd "looking for their friend at the front of the stage". Yet I was mistaken – a member of Crowbar pushes forward with a stool and places it to my left.
Catterall then enters the crowd and sits upon the stool (yes, I'm doing the same gawking that I did in O'Skulligans). The Buoys begin an acoustic performance of 'Inside Outside'. Despite literally being in the middle of the pit, Catterall makes a humble effort to turn around in her stool to acknowledge all 360 degrees around her.
In the moment, it's sweet, it's beautiful. But judging by the unfortunate direction of the stage spotlight on my section of the crowd, I probably look like a petrified little girl.
Soon after, their unreleased track 'Take It Over' debuts in Brisbane. The single grapples with the depths of burnout and capitalism, paired perfectly with the signature Buoys' call and response guitar riffs.
As another birthday present to Crowbar (and myself, apparently?), 'Guard My Heart' from their debut album is added to the set list as a request. The performance is undeniably reflective of their appreciation and love for performing – it's more of a gift to the band to perform this song than it is for us to listen to it.
During 'Lie To Me Again', punters are arm in arm, screaming the chorus together in solidarity. Catterall's vocals are completely overshadowed by the dissonant screams from the crowd singing along to every gut-wrenching word.
Now to the reason for my love of The Buoys – their passion for national politics. "We're going to play 'BDSM'. . . it stands for Bring Down Scott Morrison," states Catterall. "It became an anthem for being f...ing pissed off with middle-aged white men making decisions for minority groups that they're not a part of, ya know?"
With an eruption of cheers from the crowd, Geddes begins the iconic riff for the beginning of the indie anthem. The Buoys display a powerful message of solidarity and defiance to the crowd under a green hue.
Before finishing the set, The Buoys deliver a final present to Brisbane – the tour's debut of 'Dry Winter' as a stripped-back acoustic performance by Catterall and Geddes. The set concludes with the much-awaited performance of 'Bitch!', the reason why we're all here.
All members from the opening bands, Sectionals and Chloe Dadd, join the stage for the final hoorah of the tour. Staring back at me was a stage of independent women, which I'm sure The Buoys intended to portray.
Each member onstage intensifies their final performance for the tour, giving their all within each note and each beat. The end of the song does not signify The Buoys' departure, however – after the house lights and music turn back on, each member remains onstage talking to fans from the crowd.
It's a tough gig – Brisbane's heat is unbearable, and Cunningham has food poisoning (which doesn't stop her from delivering a killer performance). In their humble ways, they push through and produce a polished and unforgettable performance with ample surprises.
Crowbar is given a perfect birthday celebration with many presents, thanks to The Buoys.
