CherryRock008
Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
Monday April 21, 2008 with 0 Mess+Noise champion in attendance.
Featuring: Killer Birds, Tigernauts, Bring On The Junta, Zombie Sex Gang.
Surely 2.30pm on a Sunday afternoon is too early for even the Ding Dong Lounge to be reeking of Jager bombs? Whatever, there’s a decent sized crowd here early for the opening few acts of the re-jigged Cherry Rock festival (a last minute licensing glitch saw the festival move from Cherry and AC/DC Lane to the Palace and Ding Dong).
Bring On The Junta presents an aggressive front, but I suspect they are pussycats at heart. The guitarist’s scarred shin is more impressive than his tribal tattoos, but neither matches the bass player’s beard.
They play a hard metallic rock, intricate but not over-complicated. There’s not a lot of light or humour on display though. Occasionally they seem to be trying to ride an ascending chorus but are derailed by rhythmic trickery and a tendency to slip into default grind mode.
The lyrics are undecipherable -- after half-an-hour at the front I’m still in the dark as to just what the band is about. What junta? When?
Despite that, they do seem committed enough to put people up against the wall when their day comes. Band over, the crowd shambles up Bourke Street, to the Palace, blinking in the daylight.
by Trevor Block
