cAPSLOCKKILLS

I had the privilege of seeing this Perth-based (that’s in Western Australia, kids) 5-piece for free at the “The Espy” Hotel in St. Kilda, Melbourne. I also convinced myself that the 23 bucks/pitcher we were preparing ourselves with didn’t cover the set… each subsequent pitcher=greater denial. 

 Everyone has seen a band they love for free—in the U.S. I have more bands on my ipod formed in Washington State than all of Australia.  What does this say about our industry? Pearl Jam, Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, etc. (all from Washington) do come out to play on occasion, but I love music and food. I have to choose. If I had more limbs, I guess I could see more foreign bands. Hence, when I find an Aussie band I love, I just hope to hell they remain anonymous…

Thankfully, the Panics survived long enough for me to take some American friends to the gig and give something back to the country.  My pitch: ‘C’mon mate, free…’  I have realised that my American audience will do anything if you stick the word mate after it. They were keen as mustard at the point*. I’m not even sure they knew what exactly was free.

The support acts, Matheson, of Ballarat, Victoria and The Bloodpoets, of Brisbane, Australia made this a true Aussie affair and were solid, but nothing spectacular, so we drifted in and out of the band room, whilst I raised expectations dangerously high for the boys. The Panics’ set then flew by, a perfect mix of old and new and luckily, all three of my mates begged me for the entire back catalogue. This came moments after they’d blasted out their anthem, ‘Don’t Fight It’, to finish up probably the best free set I’ll ever see. In Australia, anyway.

*Editor’s note: I have no idea wtf this means.