Tonight was a special night for one band who appear to have done it all. For 20 years now, Melbourne’s very own Bodyjar have toured the world and garnered themselves a cult following that has stuck by the band throughout the last two decades.
Now they celebrate their longevity by playing the critically acclaimed classic 2nd album, Rimshot, in full followed by a selection of Bodyjar classics.
Punk rockers, Clowns, opened the show with a bang! Armed with intensity, handfuls of riffs and high energy short songs, these guys tore the Corner Hotel apart with sheer awesome power.
There was no stopping them as they took their allotted time and ran with it, creating chaos and havoc with ear damaging hardcore reminiscent of a cross between The Bronx and Fucked Up. These guys have quickly become a much talked about must-see band and their performance tonight was going to solidify themselves as a hard act to follow.
And that is exactly what happened as long time local heroes Blueline Medic came on stage in front of the almost packed house. They jumped right in with their mix of alternative emo-esque rock and the punters embraced the band whose lead vocalist and chief songwriter Donnie Dureau showed that even after so many years, he still has enough chops to deliver well-crafted songs.
The band’s only downfall was their choice of slower material, which seemed to fall on deaf ears as conversation of punters grew louder. They quickly bounced back with an incredible cover of Tori Amos’ ‘Precious Things’, the highlight of their set.
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There was definitely some anticipation for Samiam’s first ever Melbourne show. Hailing from California, the melodic punkers have dished out countless albums since their inception back in the late 80s and this was their time to shine and deliver.
Unfortunately regardless of what songs they played and no matter how good they were, the audience didn’t seem too receptive to their sound. Then again their set seemed a bit lack lustre which was possibly due to the choice of songs.
Samiam have released some incredible music through the years and their more well-known songs such as early classics like ‘Underground’, ‘Sky Flying By’, ‘Full On’, or ‘Don’t Break Me’ were nowhere in sight. They did give it their all but those in attendance, for the most part, just weren’t biting. It was obvious that people were itching for the headline act. A real shame because on record they are flawless.
There was definitely electricity in the air as Bodyjar took to the stage, said a quick hello and dived headfirst into their 1996 magnum opus, Rimshot. Opening track Windsok quickly sent those at the front into a frenzy while their single, Glossy Books, had the entire crowd singing along. The band killed with their high energy gems ‘Board’, ‘The One We Forgot’ and the Sting cover ‘Next To You’ were all well received. Most notably were tracks the band hasn’t played in many years like ‘Adam The One Armed Bricklayer’, ‘5000 G’ and album closer ‘Washed Away’.
Once Rimshot was done, instead of walking off stage and doing the rockstar thing of returning moments later after a crowd has inflated their ego, the guys simply took requests and responded with a nice collection of songs from their career. The band gave their fans a ten song treat which included the likes of ‘You Say’, ‘Not The Same’, ‘Fairytales’ and ‘Time To Grow Up’.
No Bodyjar set would be complete without their cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s Hazy Shade Of Winter; a staple of their sets for many years. Finishing with the uber catchy ‘Remote Controller’, the re-discovered awesomeness of ‘Negative Man’ and the bouncy and anthemic ‘One In A Million’, it was safe to say that Bodyjar came and delivered well beyond expectations.
They sounded full and powerful and even 20 years on, Cameron Baines’ vocals sounded pristine. They really have a lot of life left in this band and while they could be quite easily seen as a nostalgia act, they are much more and then some. These songs have been surprisingly timeless and while other long running bands of the ilk could come off as embarrassing, 20 years may have passed but Bodyjar still sound as fresh and exciting as they did back when they were a little known band called Helium. Well played guys.
Check out the photos from their Brisbane show here.
