I Am Giant, Jerrico, Ten Thousand @ The Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne (14/02/2013)
On arriving to the Ding Dong lounge to see headline act I Am Giant, it was easy to see why it has gained a reputation as one of the best small music venues in Melbourne. The 70’s retro collectible artwork, the lights and the diner style booths give the place a really nice feel. The low stage and the closeness you get to the bands makes for a really good music experience.
The opening band, Ten Thousand were like a combination of Muse and Nickleback (Nickleback in the sense of their riffs and sound. But unlike Nickleback, they have talent). They played pretty heavy rock and the vocalist Jay Bowen hit all the high notes. The fans started rolling in, and Ten Thousand had the most passionate rock fan of the night who knew all the words and head banged his mullet to every single song. The bassist, Luke McKenzie had lots of skill on the bass but it was too quiet compared to the guitars.\
I really enjoyed the set of the second band of the night, Jericco. They opened with Dance like No One’s Watching, which is a unique song because vocalist Brent Mccormick uses a mini megaphone to change his voice. This is a really great touch in a live setting. Jerrico play a combination of hard rock and electronic music. They also have a really lively stage presence and are pretty funny guys.
By the time New Zealand rock outfit I Am Giant were ready to play, the whole stage room was packed with people. From sitting in the booths and meeting new people, it was pretty clear that most of the crowd were Kiwi’s. They opened with Purple Heart and lead singer Ed Martin showed his impressive vocal range (he was chosen to sing for the band in 2008 by former blindspot drummer Shelton Woolright and Paul Matthews on the bass out of over 150 other people). All their songs lead into each other without breaks inbetween. The bands style of rock translates very well in a live setting and they finished with After the War before playing Neon Sunrise and City Limits for the encore.
Ryan Hyde
The opening band, Ten Thousand were like a combination of Muse and Nickleback (Nickleback in the sense of their riffs and sound. But unlike Nickleback, they have talent). They played pretty heavy rock and the vocalist Jay Bowen hit all the high notes. The fans started rolling in, and Ten Thousand had the most passionate rock fan of the night who knew all the words and head banged his mullet to every single song. The bassist, Luke McKenzie had lots of skill on the bass but it was too quiet compared to the guitars.\
I really enjoyed the set of the second band of the night, Jericco. They opened with Dance like No One’s Watching, which is a unique song because vocalist Brent Mccormick uses a mini megaphone to change his voice. This is a really great touch in a live setting. Jerrico play a combination of hard rock and electronic music. They also have a really lively stage presence and are pretty funny guys.
By the time New Zealand rock outfit I Am Giant were ready to play, the whole stage room was packed with people. From sitting in the booths and meeting new people, it was pretty clear that most of the crowd were Kiwi’s. They opened with Purple Heart and lead singer Ed Martin showed his impressive vocal range (he was chosen to sing for the band in 2008 by former blindspot drummer Shelton Woolright and Paul Matthews on the bass out of over 150 other people). All their songs lead into each other without breaks inbetween. The bands style of rock translates very well in a live setting and they finished with After the War before playing Neon Sunrise and City Limits for the encore.
Ryan Hyde