The Mess Hall
Homebake, Sydney

For the first time on Saturday, the entire crowd beneath the fig trees of the Dome Stage were standing, and under the watchful gaze of Bayes’ horseman, Sydney’s Mess Hall offered them a real and lasting victory. It was peculiar to witness the then-duo, now-trio outdoors in the early afternoon as swallows weaved through the scaffolding around them, but given the energy of the frenzied crowd it was apparent that nobody really cared about the oddly-juxtaposed aesthetics. They were there for The Mess Hall, and that’s exactly what they got.

The raw ferocity of The Mess Hall is what makes them so appealing. Melodies smothered in furious instrumentation and impossibly skilled technique force you to participate – it’s terribly hard to resist at least tapping a foot, the hips usually following suit. Onstage, Cec’s frenetic, powerful drumming conjured the sort of images that make unimaginative critics reference a particular Muppet as he punished his drum kit without respite, whilst Jed’s guitar wailed at his every touch. Gerling’s Burke Reid added an extra guitar and keyboards to the mix, and rather than disturbing the well-oiled Mess Hall dynamic, brought to their music another layer of appropriate grit. It was soon over just as suddenly as it began, and having got what they wanted, the crowd once again sat down to rest their collective feet.

by A.H. Cayley