Bootleg Rascal came out firing on Monday night at the Howler, showcasing their newest album Anònimo. Along for the ride were blossoming RnB artist Zac Slater and Alternative pop rock band, The Moving Stills.
Beginning with some emotion and passion, Zac Slater opened the evening. The man and his guitar were impassioned and his short set established a powerful tone leading into the next act. Slater’s tracks “Soldier Of War”, “Magic” and “Taking Shots” all held their own in what was exciting opening set, with “New Beginnings”, a mixture of rap and RnB tones proving to a highlight.
Up next were The Moving Stills, with the band’s pop hooks growing the already budding atmosphere within the room. The group’s eleven track set offered up great impression of the band’s sound, and the four man outfit from the Central Coast acquitted themselves well opening for Bootleg. Their tracks “Photo Upload”, “Almost There” and “Last Friday” all featured throughout the set. Their closing track, “Nineteen”, the band’s debut single furthered The Moving Stills’ cause, with their guitar work and lead singer Tom Mahler‘s vocal work providing the atmospheric link into Bootleg Rascal.
Bootleg Rascal treated the Melbourne audience to a fierce evening of entertainment, as they rapped, sang and soloed their way through a set highlighting their new album: Anònimo. Album tracks “Tracks (Back To You)”, “Hands To The Ground”, “Pray For Me” and “Mercy” all helped to create a brilliant platform for the band to shine. “With You” led in from “Tracks” displaying what made this new album such a purposeful addition to Bootleg’s catalogue. Whilst the album’s sound takes a slightly different direction than that on Asleep In The Machine, it all came together into an exciting and riveting live performance, with guitar solos coupled with the lyrical prowess of Carlos and some savvy bass turning their recorded album into an evening of live fun.
While the tour is naturally a celebration of the Anònimo album, Bootleg Rascal’s setlist was still full of old fan favourites from the band’s earlier album and EP. “Psychotica”, “Overflow”, and “Asleep In The Machine” all helped build the set’s momentum. The evening closed on “Drop The Gun”, with the fan favourite giving the Howler crowd exactly what they were waiting for. The popular track from the band’s debut album Asleep In The Machine had the crowd rapping along with Carlos as the party seemingly came to an end.
With the small room of approximately one hundred and fifty people erupting into the “one more song chant” (making it feel much fuller than the Monday night unfortunately provided), the band returned to the stage for a brief encore. “Coming Home”, the band’s upbeat fusion of RnB and rap closed the night officially, with the die-hard fans in the room dancing excitedly and rapping along with Carlos, as he danced and sang his way through the final piece of the night.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Bootleg Rascal’s Australian tour concludes tomorrow night at the Woolly Mammoth in Brisbane. For more information and tickets visit HERE
The reviewer attended the performance at Melbourne’s Howler on Monday November 5th.
