Buggirl

I missed Buggirl’s Friday night set at The Old Bar in Melbourne, but found myself washed up in Geelong the next night, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see them at The National.

“The Nash” is a great place, big and friendly with a comfortably grungy feel. The only drawback is that people can (and do) hang out in the smoker’s courtyard, well within earshot of the band room, rather than paying the cover charge and actually going in to see the bands. Did you know Geelong has its own music mafia? It’s true. The ones I met seemed like nice people too.

Hailing from Wollongong, Buggirl are a brother/sister, guitar/drums duo playing bluesy rock. But put any thought of The White Stripes out of your mind. These guys are much tougher, more informed by AC/DC and Motörhead than Jack and Meg – they even make duo Digger & The Pussycats sound like, well, pussycats. They play gloriously metallic tunes with titles such as ‘V8 Motor’ and ‘Blood, Sweat and Beers’, with plenty of fist pumping and head shaking thrown in for good measure. It’s all a bit tongue-in-cheek and sweaty, and loud too; the kind of loud that rattles your teeth and blows your eardrums, thanks to a pair of massive Marshall stacks.

Singer/guitarist Amanda is confident as hell, clearly enjoying every second of her time on stage, and when they crank out a version of KISS’ ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’ I am somehow transported back in time. It instantly brought to mind GOD’s cover of ‘Strutter’ at the Telegraph Hotel up the road all those years ago.

The Geelong/Wollongong connection is made explicit a couple of times, but the stage banter was dominated by drummer Clint yelling, “Fuck yes! This is where it is! THIS is where it’s at!”, in between songs at the top of his voice. Those kids smoking outside should’ve paid attention, and perhaps come in for a look.

by Trevor Block