Tonight, Ozgreeny Photography and I had the privilege to be invited as media guests to the much-anticipated launch of Sisters Doll’s third album “Scars” at Max Watts in Melbourne.
On the way in on the train my brain kept humming “We are family” because tonight three out of the four bands on the bill were all family based. First support Wicked Things line up consists of four brothers, third support Cassidy Paris line up included Cassidy and her father Steve on bass and on guitar and drums the talented Rogowski brothers. And of course, the main act Sisters Doll is an all-brothers band. Not to be left out, the second support, Atomic Riot, I am told by a reliable source, are all ‘Brothers of debauchery’. So, move over ‘The Osmonds, The Jacksons and The Partridge Family’ tonight at Max Watts is the Doll House version of family night.
Wicked Things kicked the night off to a rapidly filling venue. Wicked Things is led by Kaleb on vocals, Cooper on drums and twins Blade (guitar) and Gericho (bass). The Hill brothers played a fast and furious 30-minute set, including 8 songs. They have a classic rock sound that produces images of ‘Van Halen and Guns ’n’ Roses’, but with their own unique style. Led by powerful yet playful lead vocals and strong sweaty drum beats.
The mix of the twin’s guitar/bass playing gives the music that raw rock edge. A fun highlight of the set was their cover of “Panama” by ‘Van Halen’ with Bailey a regular rock punter starting off the vocals from the crowd. For a quick set the boys packed in a great show with songs like “10 x Me” and “Catalina” including a duelling bass and lead guitar riff off. Which twin won the battle? The brothers from Sydney were a great kick start to the night and Melbourne showed their love for them.
The second support act Atomic Riot is a 5-piece band with Ash Nish on vocals, Nick Caligula on drums, Luke Koszanski on guitar, Alex Richmond on guitar and Matt Evens on bass. Atomic Riot plays energetic pub rock/heavy metal with a reminiscent 80’s sound. They sound like they have put all the great bands from the 80’s into a blender and poured out their music.
The lead singer Ash is like a hyper ever ready bunny with strong vocals, backed by Nick’s impactful drumming and awesome guitar lover’s riff. Alex on guitar plays a mean solo and all together they are very entertaining. Atomic Riot played a 30-minute set of 6 songs to an almost capacity sweaty crowd. If you want to check out their tunes they are available on major streaming services.
Third support act to a now full venue of Melbourne rock fans was Cassidy Paris band led by the formidable Cassidy Paris on vocals and guitar, her dad Steve Janevski on bass, Tom Rogowski on lead guitar and Alex Rogowski on drums. Cassidy did a 40-minute set of 9 rocking tunes. Imagine a mix of ‘Lita Ford/Joan Jett/Pat Benatar’ and a touch of ‘Avril Lavigne’ and you can hear Cassidy’s sound.
Surrounded by the very talented Steve on bass (Wicked Smile) and the equally talented Welsh brothers Tom and Alex (Mad Haven). They played a selection of tracks from her latest album “Midnight Desire” and gave us a hint of the new album yet to be released. Tom debuted his beautiful new cherry red ‘Anthony Bell’ guitar as his fingers expertly flew over the strings, while Alex with his red curls flying hit out punchy drum beats, all tied together by Steve’s bass and Cassidy’s vocals.
It is so nice to see some female influence in the rock music scene. If you want to check out some quality music. Cassidy Paris will be doing a Bon Voyage show on the 25/03/25 at the ‘Leadbeater Hotel’ in Melbourne before heading to the UK to support Harem Scarem and to do a month-long headlining tour of the UK.
The venue is full. A sell out and the crowd have been fully entertained, but now it’s time for what they have been waiting for……..The launch of Sister Doll’s 3rd album…….”Scars”. The crowd is a mix of all ages, from young to the grey haired. Many were wearing Doll Army t -shirts and frothing at the bit for the boys to start. There are strange masked jumped suited fingers on stage (think squid games) doing last minute checks, then the stage goes dark and smoky. A red countdown clock appears on the large screen at the rear of the stage. “Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock” Gwen Stefani’s recorded voice sings and as the last 10 seconds appear the crowd count down in anticipation. The air is electric, phones are in the air everywhere you look.
Bang confetti/smoke/sparklers/lights the doll house is opened and the launch begins to cheers, screams and clapping of delight. I was lucky enough to see Sisters Doll on July 24 for the launch of the single “Don’t give up on us” and was wondering if they could top that gig. I was not disappointed. I even felt that this performance was another level up. Even more polished and professional. Sisters Doll consists of the 4 Mileto brothers. Brennan on vocals, Austin on guitar, Sage on bass and Bryce on drums. They have found the right mix of stage production and showmanship. The effects are not so over done that they take away from the performance, they enhance and raise the bar up to be stadium sized. As I have said in previous reviews “Will someone give these boys a stadium show!” They are ready to explode.
The new album “Scars” features 5 number 1 hits including ‘Don’t give up on us’, ‘Prisoner’, ‘United’, ‘Change’, ‘Kiss Me’ and the new epic title track ‘Scars’. All played to perfection tonight. Every punter at Max Watts got more than they paid for with the set starting around 10pm and room lights didn’t come on till 12pm. As always with Sisters Doll the solo performances are top notch with Bryce’s insane drum solo which includes spinning drums and laser light gloves. Austin’s shirt off smoking led guitar solo was equally mesmerising and let’s not forget baby bro Sage’s angel wing bass solo. Brennan’s voice had a husky edge to it tonight but this only gave his voice a new dimension and a ‘Paul Stanley’ from ‘Kiss’ vibe. If you love good quality 80’s rock with a modern Aussie twist, you must check out Sisters Doll live or at least listen to their new album and their back catalogue. I swear you will not be disappointed and the music lives up to the hype.
Sisters Doll will be travelling to Miami USA in early 2025 to perform on the Monsters of Rock cruise, then off for the first time to the UK to tour and in October 2025 will be on the Rock the boat cruise Vol 2 leaving from Sydney. Scars is now available to purchase on vinyl, CD and all the streaming services. As the final song of the night still played in my head ‘It’s a good day to be alive’ my tired feet climbed into the train for the trip home. I felt thankful to Sisters Doll for letting me and Ozgreeny share in their special night. You boys should be very proud of your achievements. Hard work and talent pays off.
With special thanks to Sisters Doll for the media access. Photos by OzGreeny Photography.
