Photo: Charlyn Cameron

The Eagles Of Death Metal have always had a hard time representing themselves. Originally they were simply a Queens Of The Stone Age derivative, then they had to prove they weren’t a joke band, but maintain enough of a sense of irony to release an album called Heart On. As testament to their triumph over these stigmas and the universal appeal of their good time, head-nod-to-the-’70s dance rock, The Tivoli is packed out tonight before the moustache love fest masquerading as a band has even taken to the stage. Tonight’s opening act is local four piece Butcher Birds. Booming over The Tivoli’s massive PA, Butcher Birds’ tone-saturated drone rock meets riot grrrrl garage jams sound intoxicating. Granted only a short time on stage, the quartet clearly win over new fans. The caliber of Butcher Birds makes The Protectors set only more disappointing. The Sydney band’s generic rock approach fails to captivate and seems shallow as they meander between indie, funk and retro rock sounds.

Opening with a gloriously fun version of I Only Want You, Jesse Hughes and his Eagles Of Death Metal seem tickled pink to be on a stage rocking out. The pleasure, however, is entirely the crowd’s. With a line-up bolstered by QOTSA drummer Joey Castillo and guitarist/the-coolest-guy-over-45-ever Dave Catching, tonight Eagles surpass the amount of recorded awesome on tracks like Cherry Cola, Don’t Speak (I Came To Make A Bang) and Stuck In The Metal. Even the band’s admittedly weaker material from latest album Heart On keeps the crowd boogying thanks to ex-Danzig cohort Castillo’s thundering backline. Returning for an encore with covers of AC/DC’s High Voltage and Rolling Stones’ Brown Sugar before closing with Speakin’ In Tongues, Hughes’ exuberant showmanship sealing the deal on what is a hell of a live show.

TOM HERSEY

Comments (2)

Write Comment
Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Poster's IP addresses are logged.
Name:
Comment:
Code:*