Cog

Fans began to gather at 7.30pm on Saturday night outside the Launceston Saloon Bar to see Sydney Band Cog, also other popular bands In The Grey and A Fallen Empire. The doors were supposed to open at 7.30pm, or so Cogs website stated, but the Saloon was still serving up meals, so people were standing outside freezing in the cold weather till after 9pm when the doors were finally opened.

Hobart band, A Fallen Empire, were first to hit the stage at 10pm for a 30 minute set. The singer had similar characteristics of those to The Butterfly Effects lead singer Clint Boge, from the way he held his microphone to the way he physically performed. Their songs also had the same sort of sound to them, hard rocking chorus’s and softer verses. The band played very well although the vocals sounded a bit raw and needed more strength in them in certain places. The crowd responded well to their music and seemed to be enjoying it.

The crowd started to gather closer to the stage as the sound check for In The Greys’ equipment was being undertaken. This sound check was the most annoying one I have experienced, mainly because they had no background music to keep the audience amused and they were playing really annoying chords repeatedly.

In The Grey started playing at 11pm for their 30 minute session. The band hails from the NSW Central Coast. Their new EP, Innocence Is Running Out, is to be released on June 20, with the first single being, The Falling Sound, this song sounds fantastic, it starts off like a good Aussie punk rock song, then it goes into a soft rocking verse then it changes back into a rocking chorus with slightly softer verses after. Previous releases include; Wake The Silent Day (2003) and Hopelicity (2001). They really know how to get the audience pumped up. From the first song they sang, the crowd got really hyped up. These guys had great stage presence and were incredibly energetic. The great thing to see was when the lead singer, Adam Byrne, encouraged the mosh pit to sing along into the microphone to one of their songs called Broken Star. Broken Star was a very rocky type song. I thought it was their best song of the night. It also seemed to be the crowds favourite. The crowd and the band showed appreciation for each other. In The Grey played extremely well.

As the lights dimmed and the music came to a stop, everybody started to go crazy cheering and moving closer to the stage. They all knew they were moments away from starting. At 12pm it all starts to begin. The music intro starts and the lights begin to brighten up, showing Cogs huge background banner, a picture of their new album cover.

The 3 piece band from Bondi, Cog, walks out one by one and the eager crowd cheered. The first song they played was called, Doors, taken from their new album, The New Normal, this was a fast rocking track, heavy with the guitars, it sounded really well performed. Most of their set was taken from their new album, except for 3 songs, Bondi, Stretch, and Open Up.

The epic song, Open Up, was the best performed song of the night. It is actually a cover, originally performed by John Lydon. This was defiantly the crowd favourite.

Towards the end of their set it sounded as though they had turned the music up a bit louder and the sound seemed like it was a little bit distorted.

The lighting looked fantastic, especially against their huge banner. They also had white flickering lights, which at first I thought looked very good, but they became annoying because they were just too bright and flickering too fast. But apart from that I enjoyed their show.

Everyone was having a good time listening to their music. One bloke got a bit too carried away though and jumped onto the stage so the bands manager quickly tackled him to the ground and then the security guards came and got him off. There was also a crowd surfer, which the security guards didn’t seem too pleased about, so they got him down.

The lead singer, Flynn Gower, talked about a few political issues and his theories, which seemed quite interesting, but I don’t think the crowd were really all that interested, they wanted more music. The thing I found fascinating about Flynn, was actually his moustache, it was quite unusual, it was shaven off in the middle under his nose with long sides, it was something I didn’t expect to see.

Getting back to the music side of things, they played very well, especially their drummer, Lucious Borich, his drum kit was huge, he is a very talented musician.

To finish off their 90 minute set they played another new track off their album called, Resonating, which was a really good song to finish off the show.

Overall I am sure everybody went home pleased with the night they had experienced.

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