Calling All Cars, Nerdlinger, Thrashed @ Studio Six, Sutherland (04/05/2014)
Over five years of near constant sweaty tours and blaring riffs, that is the legacy Melbourne's Calling All Cars have left. Now, with this show at Studio Six, Sutherland, they have promised to close the longest chapter of this by moving to London about five hours after the show ends. So, to say that this gig is a personal affair is one of this year's biggest understatements.
After tonight, I have found one of the grand tenants of metal. If your band's main inspiration is Pantera, that's all your band is going to sound like. The cowboy simply overrides all over influences. My main proof of this theory goes to none other than Thrashed, one of the acts chosen to support this final hurrah. Which is good for Pantera fans, I guess? Unfortunately, there isn't much of an overlap between the fan-bases of Calling All Cars and Pantera, but the guys don't seem to care, bounding around the stage with the energy only found in a dime bag. Although there are a few people moving when they leave, they are a clearly the odd one out for the night.
Rarely can three different vocalists in a four person band be a good thing. At most, there's one vocalist you prefer overall, and the other two's work is alienating and inaccessible. At worst, it's just the same voice come out of three different guys, which is boring and a little bit weird. However, Sydney's Nerdlinger somehow manages to push their way out of this spectrum. The first couple of tracks from the pop punk dorks come off a bit shaky, but quickly the guys hit their stride, joking with the crowd and just generally being fun. Still, there's very little reaction from the small crowd. It's obvious what people are here to see.
And so the time has finally come for Calling All Cars to take the stage. Compared to the bombastic intro to the rest of the tour, this was a much more reserved and intimate affair, the guys simply strolling out and bursting into Everyday is the Same. Right from the get go, the band brought everything they had to the tiny suburban venue, stomping around the stage with more ferocity than most arena bands. Despite a small turnout, the crowd shared this ferocity, a fact both observed and appreciated by the band. With a healthy mix of their entire three album career compacted into a single setlist, it was impossible for any fan to be unhappy with the set.
But the time passed quickly, and after the rather funkadelic version of the Talking Heads' Psycho Killer, everything came to a halt for an announcement. "This is our last song in Australia for a long time, and that is kinda scary. So, does anyone want anything extra for the time being?" It's a question with an obvious answer. So, the band tore into the Nirvana classic Negative Creep before going into their newest single, Standing in the Ocean. And with that outburst, the band was off, and is sure to be missed. Well, hopefully only until next Summer, when they’ve promised to visit home once again.
Ben Spencer
After tonight, I have found one of the grand tenants of metal. If your band's main inspiration is Pantera, that's all your band is going to sound like. The cowboy simply overrides all over influences. My main proof of this theory goes to none other than Thrashed, one of the acts chosen to support this final hurrah. Which is good for Pantera fans, I guess? Unfortunately, there isn't much of an overlap between the fan-bases of Calling All Cars and Pantera, but the guys don't seem to care, bounding around the stage with the energy only found in a dime bag. Although there are a few people moving when they leave, they are a clearly the odd one out for the night.
Rarely can three different vocalists in a four person band be a good thing. At most, there's one vocalist you prefer overall, and the other two's work is alienating and inaccessible. At worst, it's just the same voice come out of three different guys, which is boring and a little bit weird. However, Sydney's Nerdlinger somehow manages to push their way out of this spectrum. The first couple of tracks from the pop punk dorks come off a bit shaky, but quickly the guys hit their stride, joking with the crowd and just generally being fun. Still, there's very little reaction from the small crowd. It's obvious what people are here to see.
And so the time has finally come for Calling All Cars to take the stage. Compared to the bombastic intro to the rest of the tour, this was a much more reserved and intimate affair, the guys simply strolling out and bursting into Everyday is the Same. Right from the get go, the band brought everything they had to the tiny suburban venue, stomping around the stage with more ferocity than most arena bands. Despite a small turnout, the crowd shared this ferocity, a fact both observed and appreciated by the band. With a healthy mix of their entire three album career compacted into a single setlist, it was impossible for any fan to be unhappy with the set.
But the time passed quickly, and after the rather funkadelic version of the Talking Heads' Psycho Killer, everything came to a halt for an announcement. "This is our last song in Australia for a long time, and that is kinda scary. So, does anyone want anything extra for the time being?" It's a question with an obvious answer. So, the band tore into the Nirvana classic Negative Creep before going into their newest single, Standing in the Ocean. And with that outburst, the band was off, and is sure to be missed. Well, hopefully only until next Summer, when they’ve promised to visit home once again.
Ben Spencer