Review and photos by Craig Eriksson
A nostalgic evening was had tonight at 170 Russell In the heart of Melbourne as Kingswood celebrated the 10th Anniversary of their first studio album Microscopic Wars, which was released in 2014. The album was recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville with multiple Grammy-award producer Vance Powell (Vance Joy, Arctic Monkeys) and engineered by Eddie Spear. I remember first hearing ‘Ohio’ and went out and bought the album shortly after it was released. This album remained on high rotation as I thoroughly enjoyed the albums sound, diversity and wonderful vocals. The album reached #6 in the charts and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the ARIA Awards.
170 Russell just oozes live music vibes. Tonight was a full house, packed to the brim with punters of all ages. The atmosphere in the bandroom was electric and proves live music in Melbourne remains strong. What’s so amazing, beautiful and vital about live music is that it’s a powerful force that can lift our spirits and wellbeing like nothing else and bring so much love, happiness and enjoyment. It’s a form of escapism that helps take us away from the boring, mundane life stuff and transports us into a different world of euphoria.
A bit of history for those too young to know the history of 170 Russell. It was previously called Billboard in Concert (Billboard Nightclub) which opened back in September 1980. Back then, Billboard held 1600 people in their nightclub and live music venue and it has been a very popular venue throughout its history. Many famous and popular local, national and international bands have played there over the years. I remember going to Billboard with my mates back in the late 80s/early 90s to attend live music events. I wish I still had my ticket stubs to name some of the wonderful bands we saw at Billboard, but from memory we saw Wendy & the Rocketts, Matt Finish, Uncanny X-Men and Mondo Rock just to name a few. In 2014, Billboard underwent a major overhaul and was rebranded to 170 Russell. Today, 170 Russell is one of the best mid-size live music venues in Melbourne and holds 1050 capacity.
Kingswood formed back in 2007 and are a 4-piece alternative/indie band from Melbourne. The original line-up consisted of: Fergus Linacre (lead vocals); Alex Laska (lead guitar & vocals & principal songwriter); Jeremy “Mango” Hunter (bass & vocals) and Justin Debrincat (drums & backing vocals). Both Mango and Debrincat have since left the band and Braiden Michetti replaced Mango on bass and Josh Koop replaced Debrincat on drums. Much to the surprise and delight of the crowd, Mango and Debrincat joined Kingswood tonight for this special homecoming, album celebration and they played for part of the show making this reunion a very magical, joyful and memorable evening.
I first randomly saw Kingswood at The Ferntree Gully Hotel (The Middle) front bar in 2013. A group of us went to The Middle that night to see Grinspoon (Black Rabbits Tour) and on our way out, I heard a band playing in the front bar, so I stuck my head in for a peep. I got chatting to the lovely young ladies at the Merch Stand and I only heard one song and then Kingswood finished. One of the band members came over to the Merch Stand and said hi and asked what I thought of the gig. I laughed and said I’d only heard one song and explained why. I told him I liked what I heard and so he gave me their Change of Heart EP for free and said “Come and see us another time!” I took him up on the offer and saw them shortly after playing a special live gig at the Queen Victoria Night Market.
Last night, as I looked around the bandroom, I could see and feel the anticipation and thrill of fans waiting for Kingswood to come on. The crowd erupted when Kingswood appeared and played Microscopic Wars in its entirety, track by track in album order with standout tracks: Ohio, ICFTYDLM, She’s My Baby, Tremor, So Long and an acoustic version of Sucker Punch. I was standing at the front barrier directly in front of Alex Laska. Laska is a gun guitarist and vocalist and at times reminded me of the late great Chris Cornell with his deep, dark tones. Fergus engaged well with his fellow bandmates and the audience throughout the show and you could see he loved every minute of the show. Eye Of The Storm and Micro Wars really highlighted Fergus beautiful angelic vocals and resonated well with the crowd. Koop is a powerhouse drummer and you could see and feel his joy of playing. Debrincat beamed from ear to ear when he drummed a few songs last night. Michetti and Mango on bass both shined and Mango harmonises incredibly well with his backing vocals. It was a dynamic live performance and you can see and feel the strong chemistry between them. I also noted it was a relatively young crowd who seemed to know all the words to each and every song and sang along with love, passion, enthusiasm and gusto.
Kingswood are an incredibly talented Australian band and driving force (pardon the pun) known for their heavy rock riffs and moody melodies. They have evolved over the years now having released 5 studio albums. Kingswood are definitely not a mediocre band that likes to play it safe and stick to one music genre. They have identified and taken advantage of their musicianship abilities and have risen and gained popularity by taking risks, creating and releasing a very broad and diverse range of music ranging from rock to country music. Kingswood finished their set tonight playing a few of their fans favourite songs such as: Creepin, Golden and Bittersweet. Tonights punters will be raving about this show to their mates for a long time to come.
The Delta Riggs (DR) supported Kingswood last night and they have a long standing history with Kingswood. DR formed in 2010 and have played on and off with Kingswood almost from the get go. You could feel the love, respect and comradeship of these two bands last night. DR line-up is: Elliott Hammond (Lead vocalist); Alex Markwell (lead guitarist/backing vocals); Michael Tramonte (Bass/backing vocals); Simon McConnell (drums); Tristan Pullen (Rhythm Guitar).
DR’s explosive start with Elliot Hammond (lead vocalist) energetic stage antics are insane, mesmerising, fun, funky and infectious. Elliott has a swagger and combines a pop, punk, hip hop like persona and performance, alternating his jackets, white sunglasses and hat throughout their dynamic and entertaining show. Elliott and the band looked like they were having so much fun on stage creating a party-like festive atmosphere. Seamus Coyle, the lead guitarist of Sticky Fingers joined DR on stage for a song too. I’ve seen DR about 5-6 times now and they just keep getting better every time. DR have supported KISS and Foo Fighters in recent years and are gaining popularity fast. Standout songs were: Never Seen This Before; Rah Rah Radio; Supersonic Casualties; Bright As The Sun; Fake That; The Records Flawed.
Jacob Fitzgerald & the Electric City (JF) also hailing from Melbourne were the first support tonight and warmed up the crowd with their fun, wonderful songs, hooks and melodies. JF fronts the 4-piece band singing and playing guitar wearing a sleeveless vintage Bruce Springsteen shirt and jeans. He is a good-looking guy, charismatic, engaging and had the young girls up front stargazing and dribbling as the band provided their broad range of indie rock and pop songs like: Penny Lane; Muse; Coffee, Cigarettes & Sex; Obsessed and My Girl.
Overall, what better way to spend our Friday night than experiencing these three Melbourne bands deliver a top notch, extraordinary, great range of live music that provided us lovers of music with our Friday night music fix, setting the mood as we lead into our weekend.