Artist: The Hard Aches / Emmy Hour / Sincerely, Grizzly / Antonia & The Lazy Susans
Date: Saturday April 21st 2018
Venue: The Zoo, Brisbane
Reviewer: Jay Kleinschmidt
Photographer: Tam Schilling – Tamcam Images

The Hard Aches continued their national tour last night with fellow tour companions, Sincerely, Grizzly and Antonia & The Lazy Susans with some high energy and intense audience participation – we’re looking at you, stage divers! The event was a great success with all tickets sold out.

Local act Emmy Hour took the stage first and was very well received.  She kicked the night off well with a rocking set of acoustic numbers.  I felt she brought a 4 Non Blondes vibe, minus the rock band.  She got the crowd energy high for the rest of the acts.

Sincerely, Grizzly was next.  Initially, I thought they sounded like an indie UK rock band
akin to The Kooks or Two Door Cinema Club, although the singer added some screaming vocals at times. He would sing from different mics positioned at different parts of the stage, which I found interesting but I’m not sure it added to his stage presence.  A couple of songs toward the end were a bit long for me (unless they were medleys), but otherwise a good set.

Antonia & The Lazy Susans were next, bringing a style I found reminiscent of an energetic PJ Harvey.  The female lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist brought great energy along with the male lead guitarist, who occasionally shared vocals.  The drum and bass section were tight and reliable, however I felt they lacked imagination at times, opting for simple playing styles where there was room to be more adventurous.  Take nothing away from the band as a whole; they kept the audience rapt, and crowd members knew the songs and were keen to sing along to the music.  They warmed everyone up for the final act.

Enter The Hard Aches. By this point most of the audience were nudging each other for spots at the front.  From the first note the crowd were engrossed, chanting along and moving with the music – a full indie rock band sound presented by a duo of guitar and drums.  The crowd got a bit out of hand at times with stage diving, to the dismay of The Zoo staff.  Credit to the band, they asked the divers stop, which they did.  I guess you’re on cloud 9 as a band when you have to ask to the audience to settle down, as opposed to having an audience not participate at all.  In all, The Hard Aches finished off what was a successful night.  Kudos to you, The Hard Aches, you rocked a sold out audience at the The Zoo now it’s time to kick some arse in Perth.  Good luck!

The Hard Aches, as well as special guests Sincerely, Grizzly and Antonia & The Lazy Susans play at Jack Rabbit Slims in Perth on 24^th April.  Tickets can be bought at www.thehardaches.com

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