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 Photo: Katelyn Rew
As Arctic Monkeys fans file their way into the Brisbane Riverstage, Violent Soho get straight to business with their quiet/loud brand of classic rock & roll. “We’re Violent Soho from Mansfield, Brisbane!” they exclaim, before letting loose with the most no-frills performance of the evening. Even at this early stage of the night, a decent sized crowd has gathered for some appreciative air-punching, and there are even squeals of recognition when they rip into Jesus Stole My Girlfriend. As far as support act sets go, this rates as one of the standouts.
Alex Turner’s Last Shadow Puppets collaborator Miles Kane follows, looking very Steve Marriott-circa-1967 in his mod clobber. Confident in front of big crowds, Kane enthuses the audience with a showy take on melodic psychedelic rock & roll. Sure, it’s very derivative – Kane seems to glean about equal influence from Small Faces and their most famous devotee Paul Weller. A mate I bump into at the gig indeed dubs him “The Junior Modfather”, but Kane’s take on the genre is a heck of a lot more lively than past dullards like Ocean Colour Scene. Big sounding single Inhaler gets a very positive response – although it’s a paean to asthma, there’s nothing wheezy about the tune’s copper-solid riffs and anthemic chorus.
By the time Arctic Monkeys take to it the Riverstage is healthily packed with fans, many of whom are inevitably British. There are three bands this writer has seen that attract an almost football-level of excitement from audiences – Oasis, Manic Street Preachers and Arctic Monkeys. Just behind me, a couple proudly hold aloft their Sheffield FC flag and the band’s most beloved songs inspire FA Cup-worthy mass sing-alongs. They open with Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair, but it’s second song Teddy Picker that gets the first truly euphoric response. In fact, it’s clear that the songs from the first two albums are the most beloved – and justifiably so, because they also happen to be the best. That said, there are a some tunes from the more low-key latest record Suck It And See that provide set highlights – the Matt Helders-sung Brick By Brick, She’s Thunderstorms and the Kane co-write The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala sound very nice indeed, and a couple of Humbug tunes also go down a treat, especially the creaky organ haunting shtick of Pretty Visitors. But what really brings folks back from the bar is pacey footstompers I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, Still Take You Home and set closer When The Sun Goes Down – both real and fake Sheffield accents can be heard bellowing along. When they return for their encore, they dish out a fantastic Fluorescent Adolescent but make the mistake of closing with the mellow 505 (“Worst closing song ever!” a girl on a pair of shoulders protests).
The last time this reviewer saw Arctic Monkeys, they were touring album number two, Favourite Worst Nightmare. The crowd lapped up every single note. Two albums later, the post-Nightmare songs are clearly not as beloved. As dedicated as their fans are, it seems they really want a return to fast jagged guitars and rhythmic Alex Turner wordplay. Let’s face it, they’re more fun that way.
MATT THROWER
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