Steel Panther, Fozzy, Buckcherry @ The Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne (08/12/2013)
Ah, glam/hair Metal. Possibly the worst/best genre of all time, many superstar bands have been born from this scene; Guns and Roses, Motley Crue and Van Halen to name a few. But there’s one band that is set on bringing a “heavy metal back to the mainstream”.
Through their tongue and cheek lyrics about sex, drugs, partying, a little bit of love and more sex, this band is becoming a bit of a big deal. And no, I’m not just talking about their genitals there. That’s right kiddies; it’s time to get infected! Steel Panther are back; and their spreading the disease down under!
Opening this widely sexual and hilarious night were none other than ex-wrestler, Chris Jericho’s band, Fozzy. With their old-school rock ‘n’ roll sound and heavy metal appeal, they really set themselves out as band to be noticed. For guys who are clearly no spring-chickens, they were throwing themselves around, jumping across the stage and playing their instruments very aggressively. And they also looked bloody happy to be here too whilst doing it! Smiling and laughing and getting the crowd involved every step of the way.
Having played on this year’s Soundwave 2013 bill, it’s no surprise they were excited to be back down under. All of this really caught my attention and I look forward to hearing more music from them.
I couldn’t help but notice the wide range of punters tonight. From typical glam metal fans with hair down to their butts and eyeliner smeared on, all the way to twenty-somethings in their tank tops and board shorts. Steel Panther have a wide range of fans that’s for sure!
Next up on this bill were hard-rock/heavy metal outfit Buckcherry from Los Angeles. Playing for a solid forty-five minutes, Buckcherry were a blast from the past, looking and sounding like they had just time-travelled from the eighties. Although not as energetic as Fozzy, the band was very tight. Very, very tight! Their big and heavy sound fitted quite well in the Myer Music Bowl with the crowd really getting into them. The energy was building quite well here but it wasn’t until nine-thirty p.m did we all get into the spirit of things.
The lights dimmed and a live video feed on a huge screen at the back showed us Steel Panther playing strip-battleship with a group of topless girls. They made their way to the stage as this ended and slammed into Eyes of a Panther and Tomorrow Night before introducing one another.
With such classic lines such as “A man so beautiful, that when told to go f**k himself, he considers it: Lexxi Foxx!” I nor anyone couldn’t help but laugh. The bands warped sense of humour continues between their onstage banter and their songs as they rock along to tracks like Asian Hooker and Turn Out the Lights with ease and personality. They create a very light and fun atmosphere to the packed out Music Bowl while also creating a great energy with their heavy metal song style.
It’s during Satchel’s guitar solo and the song Just Like Tiger Woods that I realise they are actually very good at playing their instruments. Many satire bands do not take the time or care with their songs but Steel Panther actually seem to think out their tracks. After taking a stab at crowd members, girls flashing their boobs and innuendo charged jokes, the band play Death to All But Metal to an fantastic response and leave the stage.
Coming back on to the stage for an encore, they play the utterly hilarious love ballad, Community Property, gaining the biggest sing-a-long of the night. Party All Day (Fuck All Night) gets us all moving again before exactly seventeen girls are brought on stage (some showing copious amounts of boobage) for the finisher of 17 Girls In a Row. Jumping all the way through this one, we the crowd are sad to see them go but we can’t help but notice when Starr says “see you all next year”.
All in all, tonight was side-splittingly funny as well as heavy and energetic. Between their insensitive jokes at the audience and each other and their surprisingly great playing, Steel Panther left us all wanting more. And that is exactly what a band needs to do at a live show.
Matty Sievers
Through their tongue and cheek lyrics about sex, drugs, partying, a little bit of love and more sex, this band is becoming a bit of a big deal. And no, I’m not just talking about their genitals there. That’s right kiddies; it’s time to get infected! Steel Panther are back; and their spreading the disease down under!
Opening this widely sexual and hilarious night were none other than ex-wrestler, Chris Jericho’s band, Fozzy. With their old-school rock ‘n’ roll sound and heavy metal appeal, they really set themselves out as band to be noticed. For guys who are clearly no spring-chickens, they were throwing themselves around, jumping across the stage and playing their instruments very aggressively. And they also looked bloody happy to be here too whilst doing it! Smiling and laughing and getting the crowd involved every step of the way.
Having played on this year’s Soundwave 2013 bill, it’s no surprise they were excited to be back down under. All of this really caught my attention and I look forward to hearing more music from them.
I couldn’t help but notice the wide range of punters tonight. From typical glam metal fans with hair down to their butts and eyeliner smeared on, all the way to twenty-somethings in their tank tops and board shorts. Steel Panther have a wide range of fans that’s for sure!
Next up on this bill were hard-rock/heavy metal outfit Buckcherry from Los Angeles. Playing for a solid forty-five minutes, Buckcherry were a blast from the past, looking and sounding like they had just time-travelled from the eighties. Although not as energetic as Fozzy, the band was very tight. Very, very tight! Their big and heavy sound fitted quite well in the Myer Music Bowl with the crowd really getting into them. The energy was building quite well here but it wasn’t until nine-thirty p.m did we all get into the spirit of things.
The lights dimmed and a live video feed on a huge screen at the back showed us Steel Panther playing strip-battleship with a group of topless girls. They made their way to the stage as this ended and slammed into Eyes of a Panther and Tomorrow Night before introducing one another.
With such classic lines such as “A man so beautiful, that when told to go f**k himself, he considers it: Lexxi Foxx!” I nor anyone couldn’t help but laugh. The bands warped sense of humour continues between their onstage banter and their songs as they rock along to tracks like Asian Hooker and Turn Out the Lights with ease and personality. They create a very light and fun atmosphere to the packed out Music Bowl while also creating a great energy with their heavy metal song style.
It’s during Satchel’s guitar solo and the song Just Like Tiger Woods that I realise they are actually very good at playing their instruments. Many satire bands do not take the time or care with their songs but Steel Panther actually seem to think out their tracks. After taking a stab at crowd members, girls flashing their boobs and innuendo charged jokes, the band play Death to All But Metal to an fantastic response and leave the stage.
Coming back on to the stage for an encore, they play the utterly hilarious love ballad, Community Property, gaining the biggest sing-a-long of the night. Party All Day (Fuck All Night) gets us all moving again before exactly seventeen girls are brought on stage (some showing copious amounts of boobage) for the finisher of 17 Girls In a Row. Jumping all the way through this one, we the crowd are sad to see them go but we can’t help but notice when Starr says “see you all next year”.
All in all, tonight was side-splittingly funny as well as heavy and energetic. Between their insensitive jokes at the audience and each other and their surprisingly great playing, Steel Panther left us all wanting more. And that is exactly what a band needs to do at a live show.
Matty Sievers