With cancelled tours, on-stage tantrums, and general all round shenanigans, it was all too easy to be judgemental on whether or not Courtney Love’s show was going to be a train-wreck of epic proportions.

Did she really have it in her to pull off one of the year’s most anticipated shows and make it memorable for all the right reasons? There was much debate and question going on between audience members assembled at the front of the stage as they patiently awaited the arrival of possibly the grunge era’s most notable female figure. Once 8pm rolled around, the lights dimmed, the stage was set and the party started.

Melbourne’s very own hard rockers, The Mercy Kills, knew they had to step up to the plate. This was their big chance to bring it and that is exactly what they did.

Having been a prominent fixture of the local music scene, it was exciting to see the quartet as the one and only support to Ms Love. From the moment they walked out on stage, the crowd showered them with cheers and praise. It was if their very own had finally come home, although they never actually left, except to play a few shows on this tour. They made no bones about getting straight to it and they smashed through their 30-40 minute set with unrelenting ass kicking rock n roll.

Focusing heavily on tracks from their upcoming EP, they delivered on all accounts with a highly energetic show complete with a fire breathing finale and a bitchin’ drum solo complete with flaming drumsticks. The Mercy Kills have solidified themselves as a force to be reckoned with and these shows have no doubt elevated them to the next level.

The anticipation surrounding Courtney’s return to Melbourne was electric. The crowd was amped and ready for a high dose of sheer Love. Walking on stage dressed in a flowing white blouse and knee high boots, the punters erupted into a shower of adoration and praise as Love grabbed her Rickenbacker, gave a quick hello and leaped straight into her latest single, ‘Wedding Day’.

The first noticeable flaw is her guitar sound. Where was it? It may have been plugged in but turned up, it wasn’t. Still, her backing band were nothing short of solid. Hardly surprising as beside her long time lead guitarist and co-writer, Micko Larkin, delivering the goods, her second guitarist was none other than UK rocker and overly prolific songwriter, Ginger (from long time legends The Wildhearts).

Drawing from a set that was 98% Hole material and omitting tracks from her 2004 solo effort, America’s Sweetheart, it just goes to show that Love knows exactly what the crowd wants. Her raspy voice and ‘no fucks given’ attitude combined with her willingness to kick out the jams by any means necessary, makes Love the ideal punk rock icon.

Mixing equal parts Joan Jett and Kim Gordon, Love charged through a catalogue of classic Courtney cuts such as ‘Honey’, ‘Jennifer’s Body’, ‘Pretty On The Inside’, and the raw emotional anger and brutality of ‘Olympia’ which went down an absolute treat with the punters. After an exhausting 80 minutes, she rocked her way through radio hit, ‘Celebrity Skin’, before leaving the stage in lieu of her encore. The crowd cheered on and moments later Love appeared dressed to the nines in a long glittery dress and a beaming smile.

Standing alongside Larkin, who was now armed only with an acoustic guitar, the two ran through a powerful and highly emotional stripped back encore of ‘Northern Star’ and ‘Petals’, the latter of which saw Love give roses to members of the audience. She finished, surprisingly, with ‘Doll Parts’. A song that may not have been the best choice to depart on as it seemed like she left the show on a bit of a downer as opposed to an upbeat ass kicker. Nobody noticed though as she exited the stage to an abundance of cheers and genuine love. She came, we saw, she kicked Melbourne’s ass and even though it wasn’t perfect, that’s rock n roll.

Love knows how to command an audience. She says the right things, no matter how confusing, to connect with her adoring fans and she has perfected the art of how to have them eating from the palm of her hand. Whether she is playing guitar or not, it doesn’t matter. From her ramblings on stage to her punk rock attitude, she simply lights up the stage and embraces every cliché that goes with rock-stardom and not a single fuck is given. She is the total package and while her musical output has been sporadic over the years, she has still managed to remain relevant today. It’s her genuine gusto and obvious drive that allows her to continue forward as a solid entertainer.

Setlist:
Wedding Day
Miss World
Plump
Violet
Honey
Gold Dust Woman
Malibu
Reasons To Be Beautiful
Jennifer’s Body
Letter to God
You Know My Name
Olympia
Skinny Little Bitch
Pretty on the Inside
Asking for It
Use Once & Destroy
Softer, Softest
Celebrity Skin

Encore:
Northern Star
Petals
He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)
Doll Parts

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