Cog

Being an underage music fanatic can be frustrating at times, especially when bands like Cog normally play 18+ gigs, but after seeing them at the Homeland Security Tour with Shihad at the Enmore Theatre, I knew I had to see Cog this time...a rare all ages show.

Trial Kennedy, the first of the support acts, really didn't deserve all the flack they copped from the steadily building crowd. Their lead singer produced some 'Cedric Bixler-Zavala-esque' notes, and the guitarist showed formidable talent. ‘Damage on Parade’ was exceptionally tight, however towards the end of their set, the screws came slightly loose, and the drummer seemed to tire.

Irrelevant were the next band, and after hearing their opening song I tuned out. I’m not a fan of screamo music, but I never fail to be entertained watching the little emo kids skanking to this type of music! Throughout this set I spotted Luke Gower (Bassist of Cog) outside on the balcony having a smoke, and also Kenny (Lead singer of Karnivool), chatting with some roadies.

After the usual setup, the lights went down, and the metronomic intro of ‘Anarchy OK’ began. Cog then launched into full scale assault, strobes and all, flooding the audience with sheer brute strength.

Cog’s latest single ‘Resonate’ was the next song, and the drumming of Lucius Borich shone; he is clearly one of the most innovative but controlled drummers in the country. Although played slightly slower than normal (as many of tonight’s songs were), Resonate was a highlight of the show. The final chant of “It’s elevating us, it’s resonating” revealed the Gower brothers talent for vocal harmonies.

The people towards the front of the mosh pit were strangely restrained through the first two songs, but ‘Real Life’ finally got people going. Lucius played an extended drum section at the end of this song, drawing a huge reception from the sweaty crowd.

Cog’s setlists are generally made up of songs from ‘The New Normal’, but tonight they brought back ‘Paris, Texas’ from the ‘Just Visiting Pt. 2’ EP. After ‘Paris, Texas’, some little kids in front of me began to yell “Bondi, damn it!”, but Flynn proceeded to say that they had chosen the setlist based on what songs they had time for, and respectfully put the kids in their place.

‘The Spine’ began, and the final riff developed into a new jam section, which then became a drum solo. If you’ve never seen Lucius Borich drumming before, you should go out of your way to do so, he is amazing!

After ‘The Spine’, Flynn spoke about some outstanding journalist, then said “This song is called ‘Silence is Violence’...no wait, I made a mistake, this song is called ‘Run’”. Cog then played the latter, one of their ‘Triple J Hottest 100’ singles. Following this was ‘Silence is Violence’, whose chorus was definately the highlight of the night for me. Man, so much power!

‘Open Up’ has always been my least favourite Cog song, but tonight’s rendition was played with such energy and tightness that I couldn’t help but sing along – ‘burn Hollywood, burn!”. ‘My Enemy’, introduced by an extended bass intro from Luke, closed the set in style, and proved that Cog are a force to be reckoned with...the best alternative rock band in Australia, with ‘The Butterfly Effect’.

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