OCEAN GROVE // Homecoming Fever

Ocean Grove
with Justice For The Damned, Broken, The Beverly Chills
Corner Hotel, 12 August, 2017

This crowd isn’t prepared for The Beverly Chills. Actually, can anyone be? Ripping their FB bio “Lo-Fi Goth Hardcore Surf Punk” is easier than trying to explain what the hell we’re witnessing at the Corner Hotel tonight.

Singer Twiggy Hunter is screaming in everyone’s face on the floor and it’s an incomprehensible mess. Programmed drums and pitched riffs are battering the room. From the outset it looks like this is going to be a painful half an hour. A few songs in though, it all begins to click. Their puerile humour and punk vibes come together once Hunter actually makes his way onto the stage, grabs a guitar and looks like he actually cares about being in tune. Loner goes down well, and they’re generous enough to give the audience free vodka. Meteorite vodka “or some shit” they spruik. Hunter returns to the floor for a brief moment as he’s lifted onto an audience member’s shoulders, running and screaming repetitive lyrics “HEY PHYLLIS, GET FUCKED” like he’s playing shoulder wars with an invisible opponent. Good isn’t exactly how we’d describe them (they probably don’t think they are either), but their personality and general ‘don’t give a fuck’ attitude? That’s the charm.

Broken haven’t fully made a name for themselves as yet but they damn well should soon. The floor is swept by a gang of two-stepping youths, all somehow managing to swing in their own manic path. At one point a lad fully on crutches hobbles in to get himself involved in the beatdown. Mad props to the man taking a Snapchat saying “I’m supposed to be taking care of him.” Translation: ‘holding his Captain Morgan can while crutches threaten to take out someone’s eye.’ The tracks are short and sweet and the bass is crunchy.

The riffs have everyone in a fever pitch; it’s only the second bloody song, how are we ever going to survive?

Oh BOYS are ON! They’ve just dropped an absolute banger of a record, so it’s no surprise that Justice For The Damned are gunning to make the Corner Hotel a slaughterhouse. The sheer ferocity of the riffs they’re pumping out is a tad too strong for those who came just to enter Oddworld. Those in the know though are moshing as hard as they can when choice cuts like It Will Always Be My Fault and No Flowers On Your Grave are busted out. The latter sees a circle pit whipped up as singer Bobak Rafiee commands his legion of hardcore fans to spin the room. His vocals falter at points when swapping between yells and growls but for the most part his performance is surprisingly solid (see: the ending of Please Don’t Leave Me that goes off). On that note, it’s easy to forget they’ve only just released Dragged Through The Dirt from the quality of the band’s live show. The young talent on display tonight is staggering, epitomised by the record’s title track. Crushing drumwork heralds the end of an unfortunately short set.

This was always going to be a special performance. As the curtains open and an illuminated sign glows bright welcoming us to Oddworld, it still doesn’t hit. That is until the opening drones of What I Love About A Natural Woman kick off. FUCK INTO THE PIT WE GO. Everyone is screaming “oddworld baby”. Beers has more than a few of them tipped into mouths, onto the floor and they cascade over the crowd. Draught showers and all that.

Vocalist and protein muncher Luke Holmes has fury in his voice and singer Dale Tanner anchors with a pitch perfect chorus. The riffs have everyone in a fever pitch; it’s only the second bloody song, how are we ever going to survive? Thunderdome drops and there’s the answer: time to go up baby. Clambering atop the crowd, it’s absolute madness. Looking back there’s a giant wall of people losing their everloving minds. The band don’t even bother singing after the first opening “a yeah a yeah a yeah a yeah”; why try when they’re just going to be drowned out by what seems to be the entire venue screaming?

Did Daniel Johns die? Or has he somehow managed to transport himself into the vocal chords of Tanner? Either way, he soars through The Wrong Way (ditto for the forthcoming Stratosphere Love). He even thanks his mum for coming; she hasn’t been to one since their first show in 2010, and look at them now. The sheer growth of this band, even just in the past few months, is astonishing. Slow Soap Soak seems like a brief reprieve. That is, until drummer Sam Bassal crashes through the lurching electronics that are beating us around the head. Guitarist Matt Henley grabs the venue by the throat with the opening strains of These Boys Light Fires but he’s matched by Holmes’ ferocious scream to bring in When You’re This High You Can Say What You Like.

Ocean Grove // By Ariani Adam

He’s encouraged the crowd to chant “na na na na” and they catch on immediately. The vocalist has clearly been working on controlling his voice as he vocodes his way through the song’s verses and hits with ease. Underrated Hitachi closes the main set to let a breath out. Again, we’re not given much time to prepare before the looming bass riff of Backbone has us draining our dregs and throwing ourselves back into the pit. It looks like that’s everyone else’s plan too. I Told You To Smile and Lights On Kind of Lover throw an avalanche of bodies across the audience; people don’t even care if they fall, they just want to show their absolute love. Responding in kind, Holmes thanks the crowd profusely for their packed out homecoming. The USA have no idea what’s coming for them…