I am about 98.98% sure that we almost made Tom Lanyon cry. From the moment Ceres walked onto the stage for their Viv in the Front Seat tour and launched into their first song, the entire crowd was singing along to every word. The Howler was packed to the brim, there are definitive bruises forming on my legs from being thrown against the stage during ‘I feel fine, I feel sick’ and overall, the show proved to be just as epic as their newest single.
One of my personal favourite outfits, Antonia and the Lazy Susans, kicked off the night and they surely did not disappoint. With the most beautiful dosage of heartfelt punk that any fan of Camp Cope or The Hard Aches will adore, their emotion packed tunes and raw hard-hitting vocals were at home on the Howler stage.
When the second band finished, my brother took the words straight out of my mouth: “Was that band the headliner?”
Press Club are one of the single greatest live bands I’ve ever seen. Energetic, charismatic and one of the hardest bands to take your eyes off. Nat Foster‘s stage presence is incredibly powerful, and the way she lets loose on the stage and throws her emotions into each and every song is commendable. Generations of musicians should look to her to see how it’s really done, because despite being a newer band on the scene they are quite easily outdoing the likes of many greats.
Since catching them for the first time during Tired Lion‘s tour last year, their enthusiasm as a band has never faltered and this particular gig was no exception. Not only were we given a taste of a selection of fantastic new tracks, some of their killer tracks such as “Headwreck”, “Suburbia” and “Crash” all made appearances, and were all played with phenomenal vibrancy. The greatest moment of the set? During “Headwreck”, an epic song about a relationship with a disrespectful man, where Nat climbed into the crowd and faced down a male audience member, driving him backwards. Press Club, ya’ll have done it again.
As soon as the main attraction walked on stage the world melted away, and all I could do was stare at Tom’s magnificent mo. After first hearing them through their track “Stretch Ur Skin”, where they collaborated with Smith Street Band‘s Will Wagner, I’ve been mildly in love with the band and Saturday night’s gig was no exception. The crowd was thrashing, yelling and singing their hearts out, and more than once, Tom would stop and say “Wow I can’t believe this”.
The band played together effortlessly and vigorously, showcasing their brilliant, authentic and genuine punk-rock. Each song revelled in the same honest, raw lyricism and writhing guitar and it’s no surprise that cries of “one more song” called for another three doses of the good stuff at the end of the night. The highlight? When my favourite Press Club front-woman Nat came on for a rendition of “Stretch Ur Skin” that might just have almost surpassed the original. Please, tell me where I can get a recorded copy of that absolute track. There was nothing but love, sweat, mild bruising and beers at the Howler on Saturday and that is exactly how we like it.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Ceres’ Viv on the Front Seat tour continues on to Sydney and a sold out Lansdowne Hotel this Friday, before heading to Brisbane, and the Foundry on November 2nd (Ed note: Also sold out). To find out more about Ceres and their Viv on the Front Seat tour, head on over to their Facebook page HERE.
This reviewer attended the show on the October 19th at The Howler in Melbourne.
