Tonight was the eagerly awaited launch of Shotgun Mistress‘s album and tour of the same name – ‘Kings of the Revolution’, with three special guest performances by The Need, Bottle of Smoke and Audio Reign.
First to perform was the 3-piece band The Need. Fronted by Mark Spano on bass and vocals, James Morgan on lead guitar and Spider (from Electric Mary) on drums. The Need are a mellow hard rock band who musically and vocally remind me of Creed. They play an uplifting spiritual, but not religious style of music. Lead vocalist Mark has a great range in his powerful emotive voice.
Bass guitarist James knows how to strum out a great beat and their music is all tied together by the awesome drumming of Spider. To quote Mark “We are just a bunch of old idiots having fun” but I think he is underselling themselves, as they are a very talented threesome. My favourite song of the 50-minute, nine-song set was ‘Let it Rain’. The vocals and music were top notch. The Need are not a heavy, hard rock, metal band, but more of a smooth rock sound that makes you feel the lyrics and music, but don’t be mistaken this is still a band who rock.
THE NEED GALLERY
Bottle of Smoke are a 3-piece band with Erin Kelly on lead guitar and vocals, Dale on drums and Matt Ralph on bass. They play a guitar heavy, energetic style of hard pub rock, with ballsy bass , strong drum beats and gritty lead guitar riffs. Bottle of Smoke gave me Soundgarden vibes with intense well-constructed lyrics. I have never seen a bass guitarist move and enjoy the stage as much as Matt, his joy is evident in every talented strum of the strings.
Bottle of Smoke played a 45-minute set of 9 gutsy guitar strong songs. Big news for their fans, the Bottle of Smoke acoustic EP will be available from 24th October and on the 12th November they will be releasing a brand-new song ‘Do It Again’. If you want to experience Bottle of Smoke live, they are supporting Electric Mary at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, Melbourne on the 23rd November.
BOTTLE OF SMOKE GALLERY
Audio Reign made the trip from Adelaide to be special guests for Shotgun Mistress. They are a 4-piece band comprising of Jake Fleming on rhythm guitar and vocals, Ashley Lovette on bass, Alex Dyrynda on lead guitar and Dieter Schoell on drums. Audio Reign played a 40-minute set of nine all-original songs. They play a guitar driven heavy rock with gritty vocals and melodic harmonies. Front man Jake is an intense lead singer with a commanding presence on stage. They have a powerful sound with strong guitar and bass playing, all led by uncompromising drum beats.
Audio Reign plays epic hooks and has a clear clean sound. The have found the right mix of driving guitars and melodic vocals. I particularly like the slower song “Breath”, but a definite crowd favourite was “Motor way” including a beer skulled by Alex without missing a note on his axe. You can
Find Audio Reign on Spotify, Facebook & Insta and take the time to listen. You won’t be disappointed.
AUDIO REIGN GALLERY
Now the crowd had been entertained and were primed to rock out to the main act – ‘Kings of the Revolution’ album launch and tour by Shotgun Mistress. I last saw Shotgun Mistress when they were special guests for Dirty Honey and was keen to see them again. Shotgun Mistress are a 4-piece band with Matt Wilcock on guitar, “Diamond” Dave Lee on drums, Ben Curnow on bass and Glenn Patrick on lead vocals.
Lights out, Sirens ring out. Red lights come on and there are 2 guitars being used as swords. A huge rock vocal note is heard and BANG straight into it. The smoke-filled stage is alive as the first notes of “Jude Judas” are played. The crowd that has been lurking in the shadows surges forward and we have a full-blown rock show. Front man Glenn has a Steven Tyler, Michael Hitchins energy and charisma. His falsetto hard rock screams and vocal range are hypnotic. It is organised chaos on stage which Glenn often leaves to prowl through the crowd.
There is so much smoke on stage that for three songs the band is accompanied by a smoke alarm beep. The music is tight. The drumming fast and hard, and you can hear why Matt Wilcock is considered one of the top lead hard rock guitarists. His punchy licks are stellar. The music is hot and heavy, but a cool surprise was when the band left the stage and Glenn returns with an acoustic guitar and sings ‘May She Never Walk Alone’.
A hauntingly beautiful moment, then the band returns and they launch into “Welcome”. Shotgun Mistress performed for approximately 1 hour with a 13-song set, full of vocal gymnastics and musical prowess. Shotgun Mistress are a blast to see live. Their new album does justice to their live performances. Kings of the Revolution, the newest album is full of kick ass energy and sizzling tracks.
Photos by Oz Greeny’s Photography
SHOTGUN MISTRESS GALLERY
