Andrew W.K. - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 25th August @ Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC
Andrew W.K.
Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC
August 25th, 2018
Supports: The Bennies and Bare Bones
Every Saturday night deserves a big fuck-off party, and two of the partiest party acts that ever partied came together with a solid support act last night to – indeed - MOTHER FUCKIN’ PAAARTY!!! Nary has a gig used the word ‘party’ more prolifically or appropriately than this reviewer witnessed last night to a massively elated, near-packed Corner hotel.
Openers Bare Bones brought no shortage of amps-up-to-11 riff slinging and anthemic punk to a scattered audience that both swelled in number and grew more interested as the Sydney natives bashed out a hyped and aggressive warm up slot. Apparently they immediately fucked off in a car to pull an overnighter to the upcoming Sydney leg of the tour after their slot. Huge effort, boys. Welcome to the fuckin’ road!
Your humble reviewer has had at least a dozen opportunities to review/ photograph/ interview Melbourne’s finest musical export – The Bennies – all across our fair country for the last half a decade or so. It’s safe to say that these deeply exciting young men are presently peerless in their execution of a really, really fuckin’ enjoyable, riotous show, support slot or otherwise. Case in point; a packed house witnessed Frenzal Rhomb openly admit this on stage last New Year at Max Watts, the punk veterans clearly miffed they had to somehow follow the fervent yard stick electrically placed by The Bennies in the penultimate slot on the show with their BYO pyrotechnics and youthful abandon. They didn’t, but it’s okay; Frenzal are all way older and nearly all died a bunch of times too.
Anyway, the boys brought their BFF DJ mate SNESMEGA and favourite trio of brass players to really sonically beef up their assuredly dynamite set, which was nice considering the last time Pato (note taker/sick cunt) and I saw them with all the extra members was on April 20 two years ago at The Evelyn so, uh… we forgot for some reason. What more need be said? The Bennies are currently the absolute best hard rockin’ band Australia has to offer, and they tour nationally every eight minutes, so you’re a big fucking idiot if you don’t make the time to go better your life by seeing them in the sweaty, smiley, blisteringly talented flesh (Sorry, you’re not an idiot, that was mean, but go see them though. It’s just so, so very much fun).
Andrew W.K. is surely rock n’ roll’s most naturally energetic man. He’s definitely it’s most talented pianist, and easily the only one I know of that’s played drums non-stop for 24-hours to get in the Guinness Book of Records. He certainly has very impressive biceps, a storied history of motivational speaking, a very nice smile, and more eccentric dance moves, costume and tattoo choices, and a mass of powerfully uplifting hard rock anthems that teeter on countless. Beyond any of that, he and his backing quintet of mind-bogglingly talented folks have the capacity to unleash a spine-tingling, ball-tearing gig rife with positivity and walls of gloriously uplifting hard rocking noise to audiences that I’m quite sure will remain unforgettable until we’re all well-and-truly dead.
There really is no other act on earth quite like Andrew W.K.; he’s a philosopher, self-help guru, rock God, eccentric artist hybrid with vocal cords that could burst a window and skills on multiple instruments (including a guitar shaped like a slice of pizza) that would put whole other veteran rock bands to shame. He and the band are worth witnessing any place or time if possible, but a Saturday night is truly the golden window for his type of positive-party, thrashing, reverent, cathartic, joyous spectacle to explode in. The fact Australia hasn’t seen him with a full band in nearly a decade is glum, but made good by just how epically great his gig at The Corner was. A jam-packed, almost relentless 90-minute set seemed all too short considering the aural levity of W.K. and Co.’s unequivocally rapturous, gargantuan sound. The energy NEVER dipped, even in a fever-pitch-inducing 100-second countdown to encore closer 'Party Hard', that only served to further hype a crowd that’d been thrashing spastically for the last two-and-half-hours. Other highlights included the white-hot belter 'Ready To Die', epic new album and set opener 'Music Is Worth Living For', and pumping Jackass: The Movie anthem 'We Want Fun'.
In closing, I’m completely fucked and it’s time for a lie down. Thanks team, that was a party to end them all. PARTY THE FUCK ON!!!
Setlist
Music Is Worth Living For
Ever Again
Take It Off
Ready To Die
She Is Beautiful
Tear It Up
You Will Remember Tonight
Never Let Down
We Want Fun
Break The Curse
I Get Wet
You’re Not Alone
Party Hard
Revisit Andrew W.K. co-hosting Wall of Sound: Up Against The Wall here
Gig Review & Photo Gallery by Todd Gingell
Please credit Wall of Sound and Todd Gingell if you repost.
Bare Bones
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The Bennies
Andrew W.K.
