It’s such a shame to see one of Australia’s finest rock acts on their last ever tour, but after a prolific ten year career, touring with acts like Fall Out Boy, Gyroscope, and Kisschasy, it’s safe to say that they had truly done it all. In a tour that was more of a celebration of their career than a showcase of talent, Trial Kennedy had decided to hand-pick their best songs from their entire discography in order to give the fans that stuck by them an unbeatable show.

Claiming their support were the “up and comers of Australian music”, Trial Kennedy brought along Melbourne rockers My Echo and Adelaide pop punkers Mayweather to grace Adelaide’s Jive bar. Both were amazingly faultless, with Mayweather’s pristine vocals and relentless energy driving their dedicated fans into euphoria, and My Echo’s catchy Living End-styled rock’n’roll enrapturing the room. It was clear to see that Trial Kennedy knew what they were talking about, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see both of these acts on their own Australian tour anytime soon.

With the floor and balcony packed to the brim of fans both young and old, emotions were high as Trial Kennedy stepped onto an Adelaide stage for the final time.  From the first note onwards, the whole venue was shaking. Hoards of men and women jumping and bumping into each other just as they would have done in their first ever Trial Kennedy show.

Vocalist Tim Morrison’s right hand man and lead guitarist Stacey Gray seemed to steal the show on many occasions. Demonstrating he knew how to belt out the songs better than the back of his hand, he pulled a range of stunts, including using a beer bottle on his fretboard, taking his guitar off and playing it in nearly every unconventional position, and giving his instrument to a crowd member to strum for a part of their final song.

It was plain to see that everyone was on the same page; the night was seen as a celebration by all. Each of the members messed around more than ever on stage, with Tim often holding the microphone out into the crowd to sing the words, as well as inviting a random crowd member on stage to assist in playing drums for an entire song.

Those who reluctantly turned up to Jive bar this night in expectancy of a lacklustre performance by a band who were holding out for the end would have been hit with anything but what they were expecting, with Trial Kennedy delivering one of their most passionate shows ever seen in Adelaide. Those disappointed about the end of the four piece need not worry, as it was said several times throughout their set that members of Trial Kennedy would be touring Australia in other respects in the future.

- Tom Gaffney