Brisbane’s pop-punk upstarts Two Times Shy are soaring lofty heights as they let loose their …
No matter how into your favourite band you are, there is a Tool fan out there who is more fanatical than you.
Admitting you’re a Tool fan comes with a degree of risk when you asses the sheer devotion their fan base give to the four men. From naming pets after band members so that you can say their name every day, to worshipping the band to the extent that frontman Maynard James Keenan considers certain devotees “Insufferable Retards,” Tool fans are the Doctor Who fanatics of music.
There’s millions of them, and the dedication seeps over into everyday life, their love of the product manifesting itself in surprising yet delightful ways that constantly astound, shock and impress onlookers. With such a devoted fanbase waiting on daily tenterhooks for that looooong overdue and constantly promised LP #5, Melbourne guitarist Elliot Steele saw a gap in the music market.
“There’s always someone out there in a little town in Australia who isn’t getting enough Tool in their life” says Elliot. “If you’re a fan of the band then you want to see how those tunes performed live.”
It was this gap in the market that has made Elliot’s brainchild Third Eye, a Melbourne-based Tool tribute band, such an unexpected success. “I never put the band together intending to be a tribute show. I just wanted to get some mates together who would be keen to bash out some Tool and have some fun with it all” he recalls. “I put out an add on Melbands (Melbourne musician site) and I got a reply from one bassist, one drummer and one singer. Some might say it was fate that the band was formed … it was quite painless.”
From there, things escalated at a rapid pace for the group, with Elliot remembering that “People would be like ‘I’ve never heard a band play Ticks & Leeches before. You guys should play some gigs!” It would take some time before things really began to take the shape of a part time professional career, with the milestone on Tools acclaimed 2nd LP marking a turning point for Third Eye.
“We did a 20th anniversary Aenima show at Cherry Bar in Melbourne where we played the record back to back … we sold out the venue and had people lined up round the back outside.
It was after that that we were approached by Chris O’Brien from Destroy All Lines who has taken on a management role for the band…it’s opened up a lot of possibilities for us which may or may not have been there previously to that.” Obviously attending a Third Eye concert gives you more than just four guys covering their favourite band, with Steele assuring any sceptics that “We always decided we wanted to make it more of an experience … and pay homage to the amazing show that they put on.”
For the true Tool fans among us, we know that to satisfy our live Tool appetite there needs to be lasers, virtual geometric shapes and immersive visuals. Thankfully, Steele is adamant that the band’s growth means that “we can now play venues that can facilitate what we are trying to achieve.”
It might not be Tool, but it sure as hell will still be an experience to tide you over whilst waiting for that next record.
Third Eye (Tool Tribute Show) Australian Tour
Fri 25 August – 170 Russell, Melbourne – 18+
Sat 26 August – Karova Lounge, Ballarat – 18+
Fri 22 Sep – Factory Theatre, Sydney – Lic A/A
Sat 23 Sep – Brightside, Brisbane – 18+
