A sea of Converse and striped, knee high socks; grunge hair and slogan tee shirts fill the room. But it was not Washington circa 1995, but the UNSW Roundhouse, all grunged-out for The Presidents Of The United States Of America.
The Seattle novelty rockers wound back the clock on Friday night, producing a vintage performance of their Grammy nominated, self-titled 1995 release in full, peppered with a few more of their greatest hits.
However before The Presidents took the stage, two other acts had their chance to rock the Roundhouse, and each act took that chance with both hands.
From the first glance of pop rock Sydneysiders Ashes, it was clearly going to be a fun performance. Decked out in formal attire, including frontman Raj Wakeling’s bright green suit jacket that looked like a cross between the Joker and the Riddler, Ashes got the party well under way, with an impressive array of original material.
Strong rock vocals, catchy riffs, a great beat, and the generally playful attitude exuded by the band made them a joy to watch, and definitely got the crowd onside, providing a fantastic start to the evening.
Though Ashes were a tough act to follow, Hey Geronimo did so terrifically. Performing a number of originals, including all five tracks from their 2012 self-titled EP, and a cover of Talking Heads’ ‘Burning Down The House’, the Brisbane quintet produced organic, effortless harmonies and superb indie-rock riffs.
The crowd were left flocking to the merchandise stands to get their hands on the aforementioned release.
Set highlights included ’Co-op Bookshop’ and ‘Dreamboat Jack’ whose catchy chorus, “Girl I’ll shake your hand/If you want to go out with the drummer in the band”, was left echoing in the heads of all present.
If there’s any justice in the world, both supporting acts will be very big, very soon.
After a short break, it was the moment the fans had been waiting for. Following a clichéd, but amusing pre-recorded introduction, The Presidents Of The United States Of America took the stage.
As they got into the set, the big hits came thick and fast, with ‘Lump’, ‘Peaches’, and ‘Kitty’ all coming in quick succession, to rapturous support from the large crowd.
When ‘Lump’ began, the fan reaction was insane. Though a few of them looked like they were getting a little long in the tooth, much like the band, the fans proved that they still have what it takes to party.
As the introduction of ‘Peaches’ was played, lead singer Chris Ballew shared a knowing look with the audience at their recognition of the song, before launching into the vocals, which were echoed straight back to him, with gusto.
Paying homage to the fans, Ballew thanked them for their continued support and allowing them to do what they love for a living, before playing the fitting ‘We Are Not Gonna Make It’.
The gesture really showed that though their career has spanned 20 years, the degree of support their fans give is not lost on the band.
With support acts befitting an act of the calibre of The Presidents, the entire show was a complete success.
The strength of the two local acts, followed by the pure, post-grunge ecstasy that the Seattle veterans embody, was all that the ageing crowd had gathered to see and more.
If you missed them, you should be sorry, but based on the support that was received, along with the energy exuded by the band, with any luck they might come back to kick out the jams with us one more time.
