It’s not every day that you’ll see an act like Band Of Skulls play in an old nightclub in St Kilda, but thanks to Dr. Martens, a select few Melbournians were treated to their free gig last night.
In town as part of their whirlwind East Coast Australian tour, Band of Skulls have spent the past few years sharing the world’s biggest stages with the likes of Muse, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Queens Of The Stoneage. However last night, Band of Skulls took to a tiny stage in an intimate surrounding in Dr Martens’ #Standforsomething Pop Up Venue.
With a free bar to celebrate Dr. Martens’ #Standforsomething campaign keeping the punters warm, the trio were gently welcomed onto the makeshift stage at 8.30pm. Launching straight into “Asleep At The Wheel” – the opening track from their latest album Himalayan, the excitement level amongst the audience increased immediately.
“Good evening Melbourne, we’re Band of Skulls from Southampton and we’re going to play the shortest rock and roll show of the year,” said guitarist and lead vocalist, Russel Marsden, as the trio quickly launched into the title track off Himalayan.
“Himalayan” proved to be a definite highlight from the brief set – with Marsden’s solo towards the end combined Emma Richardson’s baseline and harmonies displaying just what makes Band of Skulls one of the most exciting rock bands of the past few years. Along with “Himalayan”, another new track, ‘Hoochie Coochie’ was also impressive, with its infectious riffs, harmonies and the added psychedelic screams provided by Richardson.
Although it’s from their 2012 sophomore album, Sweet Sour, ‘You’re Not Pretty, But You Got It Goin’ On’ was introduced by Marsden as “an old song of ours” and the crowd was excited by its inclusion in the set. In reality, the set’s oldest track was ‘Light of The Morning’ from their debut album, Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, and the White Stripes-esque track reminded fans of what exactly they fell in love with the band years ago.
Closing the night with obvious choice, ‘Death By Diamonds and Pearls’, the head-banging crowd were clearly saddened and even disappointed to see the band leave so casually afterwards without much warning and providing little hope for an encore.
Playing for just under thirty minutes, unlike Drummer, Matt Hayward, Richardson and Marsden had not even worked up a sweat and many in the audience were still on the same drink they were at the beginning.
Musically, the whole performance was flawless, although it was clear that the audience didn’t believe the front man when he warned them that it was going to a short one. The set comprised of a perfect balance of new and “old” songs, but it was still surprising to see that fan favourites, “I Know What I Am” and “The Devil Takes Care of His Own” were not squeezed in.
This intimate and rare gig teased the room, whetting the appetite of many, and whilst they’ve missed their chance to see Band of Skulls perform a full headlining gig in town this time around, lets hope the Southampton trio will be back on Australian soil soon.
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