Melbourne’s The Smith Street Band are not only one of the greatest assets to the Australian music scene right now, they’re also doing a huge service by bringing out a swag of incredible international talent to tour with them.
In the past, Restorations, PUP, Great Cynics, Apologies I Have None and Front Bottoms are just some of the acts Wil Wagner and crew have coaxed down under. The latest pair are Cleveland, Ohio indie-rock darlings the Sidekicks and Phoenix, Arizona folk-punks Andrew Jackson Jihad.
Knowing the good value for money, there was a decent crowd gathered around the fringes of the Manning Bar room by 9pm (9 Sep) when the Sidekicks hit the stage. And that crowd didn’t take much convincing to move onto the dancefloor once the band started; jangly happy-sad melodies, fuzzy '90s and singer Steve Ciolek’s soaring vocals were an absolute delight.
Click here for photos from the show.
While they covered their three earlier punkish power-pop albums, it was the well-rounded tunes from 2015’s excellent 'Runners In The Nerved World' that shone brightest. Not surprisingly they opened with one of the album’s strongest tracks ‘Hell Is Warm’, offering a slow-build and explosion that highlighted the band’s great use of dynamics.
With echoes of The Shins and Built To Spill (incidentally, 'Runners In The Nerved World' was produced by their engineer, Phil Ek), the Sidekicks showed just how diverse the punk scene can be – and in 'Everything In Twos’ just how great a gorgeous power-pop song could be.
Next, there were plenty of bodies excited to hear how great wordsmith Sean Bonnette would be out the front of his Andrew Jackson Jihad. He didn’t disappoint; spitting razor-sharp, wry lyrics with heart-on-sleeve sentiment, Bonnette was a wholly captivating frontman with the songs to back the performance.
Standouts were the jaunty ‘People II: The Reckoning’ and ‘Bad Bad Things’, both fan favourites from 2007’s wonderfully titled 'People That Can Eat People Are The Luckiest People In The World'.
Image © Patrick O'HaraThe room was packed just after 10pm, and you’d be mistaken for thinking it wasn’t a school night based on the simmering atmosphere. This is, of course, the type of vibes synonymous with The Smith Street Band – there’d be few people who could say Wil Wagner hasn't been responsible for a hangover or two.
They didn’t waste time with niceties, steamrolling into their catalogue with fervour, Wagner somehow soaked in sweat almost instantly. Rolling out the big guns – ‘Throw Me In The River’, ‘Don’t Fuck With Our Dreams’, ‘Sigourney Weaver’ – Wil Wagner is not just one of the songwriting greats but an incandescent performer. Whatever he’s selling, you’re buying.
Wil Wagner - Image © Patrick O'HaraAs often is the case, the highlight of the set is their impassioned anthems, and they have a mighty big one in ‘Surrender’ from 2014’s outstanding 'Throw Me In The River'. It’s buoyant, full of fight and tough with a soft heart – much like Wagner and The Smith Street Band themselves.
Now, if only it was Friday and not midnight on a Wednesday night.
Click here for photos from the show.
