Fist Full of Rock // Enmore Theatre // 31/08/2017

The average age at the Enmore Theatre was probably somewhere in the mid-forties, and the under 18 seating was taken up mostly by people who didn’t think they could stand for the whole show. However, the line up of classic Aussie rockers would prove that no matter your age you could still rock out, just maybe with a few breathers.

Up first on the night was rock heroine Adalita. Having previously performing in ’90s rock band Magic Dirt, Adalita released her first solo album in 2013. Despite the room taking a while to fill up Adalita delivered a rocking set, before finishing with a spectacular performance of Blue Sky.

After an awkwardly long set up time the next band to grace the stage were Aussie ’90s larrikins Jebediah. As they rocked through some classic ’90s tunes it was clear that Jebediah are a teen band that has gotten old. Not letting their age define them, the band was all energy, dancing about the stage as they made their way through classics such as Lino, Animal, and Harpoon, as well as comeback hit She’s Like A Comet. Jebediah proved that they could still get their crowds moving and singing along, as they played a set closing Fall Down to a packed out theatre.

The first of the two headliners for the night was You Am I, another Australian classic from the ’90s. Despite a rather bass heavy, and muddy mix You Am I preformed amazingly. Front man Tim Rogers let the crowd know that the songs were dedicated to anyone who “wishes it was like the old days.” Taking Dad rock to it’s logical extreme the band played a cover of Cheap Trick’s ’70s classic I Want You To Want Me. The band then played a section of Deep Purple’s Black Night before finishing the set with Cathy’s Clown, Rumble and Berlin Chair. The absolutely packed room couldn’t get enough of You Am I and the band couldn’t get enough of the crowd, with Rogers thanking their fans for supporting the band for their almost thirty year career before leaving the stage.

Last on the night was ARIA Hall of Famers Hoodoo Gurus. Walking on stage to the theme from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly the Gurus took no time to launch into a packed set including all of their hits, stretching right back into the ’80s. Looking like your dad’s favourite band (maybe because they are), the Gurus smashed out B-sides and as well as hit songs. Front man Dave Faulkner thanked the stage crew as well as the Gurus personal sound and lighting engineers, all of whom did an amazing job for the Gurus set, before leading into an encore with Come Anytime and Miss Freelove ’69, and Kamikaze Pilot.

In the encore the Gurus finally got to the song that you came to hear, playing the classic What’s My Scene with an extended guitar solo. Finally, finishing more than half an hour over time, the Gurus let the crowd make their way out of the venue and back home for the latest night that many in the audience would have had all year. Fist Full of Rock might have been a tour aimed at an older generation of music fan, but it was an event that definitely managed to deliver.

– Josh Mills