Exclusive: 67 Special - Live at Eagle Bar
By
Sean Lynch
Exclusive Web Wombat Photos: Phil Nyguen
Click Here To Buy The Latest Album from 67 Special
Tipped as one of the next big things to come out of Melbourne, 67 Special has been somewhat absent from the public eye of late.
After a string of potential hits, a debut studio album "The World Can
Wait" and massive exposure thanks to an appearance in a Coke commercial
- things seemed to only be going up for this likeable rock outfit.
However,
the unstable nature of the music industry dealt a cruel blow in the
early part of 2005 with the bands label Festival Mushroom being bought
out by the much larger Warner company. The complete loss of marketing
funding merely weeks after the release of the album of course meant
that the band was left to wander in the limbo of life.
Needless to say, it was somewhat surprising to hear out of the blue that 67 Special
were making a return - at none other than the LaTrobe University Uni
Bar. The last time I had seen the band was almost a year and a half
earlier as prior to the Lp release, with one of the most enjoyable gigs
of that year. Playing a blistering, dare I say, upstaging support set
for The Casanovas at the fantastic Corner Hotel.
It
was actually upsetting to see one of may favourite bands of the last
few years having to play in front of a crowd of drunken uni students,
most of which were there because they hadn't been invited to anywhere
good. In fact, bar the few actual attractive females at the front of
the stage (not surprisingly, there specifically for the gig) - it was
essentially a sea of "uggos" whose idea of a great song comprises of a
"Summer of 69"/"Living On A Prayer" Megamix at the end of the
night.
Opeing
up with the near perfect pop-rock of "Hey There Bomb", the crowd was
awkwardly cold. The 500 strong crowd could barely muster up a golf clap
as they went along their merry way of getting $2 pots into their guts
and trying their darndest to get laid by a girl who had finally given
up hope of waiting for "The Right Guy". However, in one of the greatest
comebacks since John Travolta's turn in Pulp Fiction - the band
consisting of the pressurised vocals of Ash Santilla, the fro topped
lead guitar of Gavin Campbell, Bryan Dochstader on bass, Ben Dexter,
and the subdued Louis Macklin on keyboards - somehow took one of the
coldest audiences in Melbourne to boiling point.
The bands
commercial breakout hit "Boys and Girls" did the job, as did my
personal favourites "Walking Away" and "Last Drag". Newer songs
"The Go" also whipped the unfamiliar crowd into a frenzy, and by the
shows end, all eyes had finally been diverted to the stage.
Simply
one of the most impressive gigs ever for the pure skill of making a
unintrested audience thrive for more. Their second LP is currently
being recorded and is one that should definately be looked out for -
even better - be sure to catch them live as they are one of the best
acts going around at the moment.
Set-List: 3 out of 5
Some
of the newer tracks were unfamiliar and sometimes seemed to blend into
one another. However, the tracks form the superb "Hey There Bomb" EP
were strong enough to keep this one crusining along at a rocky pace.
Lighting & Visual: 1 out of 5
At
the end of the day, Eagle Bar is simply a Uni Bar by day and was never
truly built for bands. However, with the setup on offer, and an
audience who are eager to actually see the band playing, this could
potentially be a great venue for live acts in the future.
Overall: 70%
67 Special are currently recording their second LP, "The World Can Wait" is in stores now. Click Here To Buy The Latest Album from 67 Special
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