On a chilly Saturday night in Scarborough, Radio Moscow played to a sold out Indi Bar and warmed our hearts with the soul of rock and roll. Want to know how it went? Well, this broadcast from Radio Perth will tell you all about it.
First up was The Ivory Lies. As I sipped on my $8 Emu Export (a national tragedy I tell you), they began to warm up the crowd for the coming rockening, which is definitely a real word. Apparently I’d gotten there far too early and the first song turned out to be a soundcheck, but what a soundcheck! Later, at the actual start time, they kept that same energy that would be a characteristic of the evening. It was revealed that frontman Liam was performing with 6 stitches in his finger, so what a trooper for managing to perform a whole set like that.
Next was Legs Electric who played to a now full room. I’d seen them previously at a punk fest and they didn’t disappoint here either. Something quite noticeable about the band is the sheer amount of emotion they put into every song. It’s like being transported back to the 70s and the prime of blues based hard rock. Particular praise needs to go to bassist Erin Gooden, who performed magnificently while laying down some groovy licks. It’s such a shame I was driving that night or I’d have gotten some bourbon on the rocks to go with the music!
As the smell of the devil’s lettuce wafted through the building, The Southern River Band showed us why Thornlie is an undiscovered musical gem. They can only be described as unique, very definitely in a good way. With a cry of “Suck My Dick”, they played a wide variety of styles. You could get a general impression by describing them as Cream like, but really there’s so many influences in there that you could pick and choose as desired. Their charismatic frontman had styled himself to look like a 1970s tennis player and had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. I predict great things for these guys. South side represent!
With the Perth welcoming its visitors from the states with open arms, Radio Moscow took the stage. A little confession, I had never heard the band’s material before this night. However the sheer force of the music struck me immediately, as the first song hit me like an atom bomb. It was like seeing The Jimi Hendrix Experience live; sheer magic start to finish. It was little talk, all trousers, as the band blistered through an especially packed set. A huge part of their songs are the epic guitar solos. Seriously, they have more solos than you can shake a joint at! It’s like going to a larger than life jam session. There was one point where their guitarist Parker Griggs swapped to a twelve string mid song, which added a nice bit of flavour. Like a nice bit of chutney on a fancy burger. They had a huge amount of energy on stage, playing with such passion that they certainly made a new fan out of me.
Overall I had a fantastic evening. If you haven’t seen Radio Moscow yet, you definitely should. I’ll be seeing them again at the Dead Of Winter festival in Brisbane, so that should show you how great I thought they were. See them, it’s an order!
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Sharon Burgess Photography
RADIO MOSCOW Australian Tour 2018
Wednesday July 04: MELBOURNE – CHERRY BAR
Thu 05 July: FRANKSTON – PELLY BAR
Fri 06 July: CANBERRA – THE BASEMENT
Sat 07 July: BRISBANE – DEAD OF WINTER FESTIVAL
Sun 08 July: SYDNEY – FRANKIES PIZZA BY THE SLICE
For full tour information and tickets head to beatscartel.com/tickets
