The Crown and Anchor Hotel
Saturday 14 May 2022
Words – Geoff Jenke
Photos – Robert McArthur
I hadn’t been to the Crown and Anchor for many a year and it is nice to see the place hasn’t changed one bit. Your shoes still stick to the floor, but the drink prices are good.
Peter Bibby’s Dog Act have finally got to touring Peter’s latest album, Marge. “We have been trying for ten years to tour the album” said Peter on his 2020 release. “McGowen wouldn’t let us out of the state”
Before launching into I’m on Fire we were told the band “Played filthy rock n roll” and he is quite right about that. The music was loud, heavy, energetic and wonderful. Oceans then Stress came next, Stress a song apparently about a serious breakup. Certainly not a happy song. Songs merged into one another with Jet Ski and F#@k You joining Stress. But Peter followed it up with a song called Your Mum and its nice slow intro soon turning to full on rock’n’roll, then weaving back to an almost ballad.
Goodbye Johnny certainly raised the stakes music wise and one of the highlights of the set with the music ebbing and flowing throughout the song. A thing of beauty and a joy forever. Before playing Whyalla we were jokingly told the “next song is about a town a bit north of here called CEDUNA”. The song certainly was a hit with the punters. Maybe many come from Whyalla.
With all the uncertainly of the last two years, Peter philosophised “2022’s not too bad, we’re here, you’re here” and maybe he is right, let’s just carry on with life. Over the next few songs, we had the sounds of ballads (the extraordinary Red FX Falcon) and punk morph into the sounds of Sabbath like music, at times brutal and doom laden. It’s been a while since I have seen crowd surfing and circle work happening in the mosh pit but tonight it blossomed. A lot of hard work was going in there. Glad I was at the back of the room.
After a very electric Calcium/Craigburn (what a great closing duo of songs) reached its rising crescendo and crashed into finality the audience unified as one with “One more song, one more song”. The band didn’t leave the stage, reuniting themselves with their instruments and left us with Filthy Rich.
Racoo supported with their powerful experimental music. With members of the band changing during the set it was an interesting support that I really enjoyed. Was impressed with the use of violin during the show. You can never get too much violin in a rock show. The music was so different to the main act, but as someone once said, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’ll get”. For me, I got two great bands that I didn’t know much about before this evening. That will change going forward.
Quote of the night came from a young lad talking to me. “I wish I was born in your generation. You had such great music”.
Well after tonight, even an old rock scribbler like me can enjoy the wonders of young bands.
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