Upstairs at the revitalised Lansdowne, it didn’t take the pulsating crowd long to start rolling to the rhythm and the power of Gold Class.
It’s Saturday night at Sydney’s newly resurrected and ever iconic Lansdowne Hotel. There is so much buzz in this place that a good night is guaranteed simply upon arrival.
Pizza, pool and plonk flow downstairs, while upstairs punters pepper the lounge area and the bar steadily swells before things get very loud indeed. Here we go.
Neighbourhood Void take the stage and we’re off. Fierce, impassioned and very much in their element, the guys turn over some pure cul-de-sac grunge with easy, uncompromising abandon. Things tear up quickly and a crowd slowly forms around the stage as the dudes bring home one of the most hectic openers we’ve seen this year.
Their newly released debut Childhood Trauma plays like a distorted memoir that FIDLAR’s younger brothers might wax; loud, bothered, loads of fun and even better in the flesh.
Next up are staple Inner West songsters Flowertruck. With frontman Charlie Rushforth yelling and squirming in front the mic the way only Charlie Rushforth can, their infectious energy and personal brand of buoyant indie pop unabashedly blasted the entire room.
These guys have been doing the rounds for a minute now, hitting up local festivals and supporting the likes of Sticky Fingers and Jeremy Neale, as well as releasing their EP Dirt last year. Latest single Dying To Hear is another gorgeous addition to their blossoming catalogue.
Finally, enter Melbourne’s most potent alt/post-punk outfit right now, four-piece Gold Class. They had barely formed before they recorded their debut record It’s You in four days and unleashed it on their unwitting audience.
You have probably seen names like Joy Division, Morrissey and Fugazi make an appearance whenever they’re fervently mentioned. The truth is, nothing quite compares to their tense, punchy and melodic style; howling guitar lines, driving percussion, dense, galvanised bass and singer Adam Curley’s dramatic baritone crooning over all manner of dark things.
Curley commands the space with absolute presence, flanked by riffsmith Evan James Purdey and bassist Jon Shub, with drummer Logan Gibson at the helm.
It’s a well oiled machine, every member propelling the night into an all-engulfing darkness and the whole venue was along for the wild ride.
They hit up Fremantle and Perth next on their Twist in the Dark tour, followed by a couple of stops in New Zealand. Their sophomore album Drum is slated for release in August and they’ll be back in Sydney for Volumes shortly after.
You can also catch Neighbourhood Void on July 29th at our very own Happy Mag Issue 5 Launch. Grab all the details here.
Words and photos by Dani Hansen.
