Lord

I had never been to see any of the bands on the lineup at the Trout on Friday 4 May – Star Wars day as one person wished me! (“May the 4th be with you”). I do like the Trout though... Its a Pub – and bands work well in pubs.

Also, it was my first gig of that style and I could Google excessively but... well this is just a review, my perception from my 4ft 11 inch length and blue eyes and reasonably unharmed ears, not an English Essay requiring footnotes and a bibliography.

I liked the supports – they were fun – very tongue in cheek...

I had seen the cover of Hammerhead's CD in Aroma. So I had a bit of an idea what to expect from these boys and their cheeky CD sleeves.

“Extremely catchy melodies, chunky riffs, dual guitar solos, soaring harmonized vocals, air tight rhythm section, strong active stage presence and extraordinary musicianship make it hard to take your eyes off live Hammerhead performances. Lead guitarist Adrian Scott’s (AKA Shred Master General – as he’s known around Tasmania) stunning fret board gymnastics alone are a must see!”

I often feel like saying, “yeah, what he said” so in the case of the above paragraph it is true. How boring when reviewers or their publicists agree... no controversy!

Beertallica – well it says it all really – If you like Metallica and you don't mind a cover or three then you wouldn't mind spending sometime with the boys from this alcohol soaked and/or influenced metal outfit.

Anyone who says they don't like a good cover band once in a while is lying. In small doses cover bands are good fun. I often don't like the crowd they attract but that depends on the cover bands style – one distinct band rather than your weddings, parties, anything set is so much easier to swallow otherwise it fades into the strains of karaoke.

Of course, for a music lover like me, original music is definitely more attractive but being a fan of Metallica sorted me out on the original Vs cover quandary.

And Lord, well – I thought they were amazing – at this point I felt a little breathless from the crowd – Trout was definitely full at that point – comfortably so though, not dangerous like some venues.

A passive smoke seemed to get some air back into the lungs – also it was raining so the smokers and fresh air seekers really soldiered on in the elements for their cause – which in my case was a lost one really – potential flu or cancer... everything at your own peril, always.

The crowd was fairly balanced - I expected testosterone and long hair and black tees to engulf the room but it was an interesting and unique crowd. I think it proved that everyone in there was actually there to enjoy the music - and all that entailed – whether it was to flick their long hair about or whatever other terms refer to the goings on at a metal gig – I found it intriguing to say the least – a true first time, messy, unpredictable and quite possibly the beginning of something amazing.

It must be an age thing perhaps – I never got into the whole long haired boys, spray on jeans, full on fringe stage that seemed to take over the 80's. And that comes from being a babe born of the late 70's – I was enjoying being a kid.

Now the guys were big and burly but they weren't there to intentionally bash anyone or pick a fight. They just had shared aggressive love for the thumping sound coming from the stage. You always feel safe when you know what to expect from the crowd – a shared mindset is a wonderful thing.

And the girls well – they looked like they were having fun. In the case of a few of us it was a pre-Coven gig which made it a compare and contrast for me attending both gigs in succession.

The mutual respect of a crowd dressed in similar themes always provides a framework for peoples actions.

Maybe if I was a drunk burly bloke with a pissed off attitude i could enjoy a gig so much more and write an amazingly succinct perspectives that didn't at times feel so disjointed and boring – censorship of yourself is a hard thing to do when you feel the constraints of society and all its imposing expectations – I don't write exposes unless the occasion requires it, its just my small view on the world.

All in all Trout and its contents on Star Wars day was f*cken awesome... true sweaty pub rock at its finest. I could insert a set list but honestly, get your arse to the Trout next time there is a gig on and live in the real world.

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