Bugs @ Lucy’s Love Shack
w/ Sweater Curse, TOWNS, Duck Teeth
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Brisbane’s Bugs brought their Self Help tour to Perth Saturday night for a high energy set showcasing their latest album along with older hits to a hectic, full-of-life audience.
To open the night, Perth locals Duck Teeth delivered a vocally strong set that was loud and punchy with a growing crowd to watch the goofy and energetic four-piece. Made up of former and current members of Tired Lion and Candy Guts, the crowd quickly grew as they realised we were witnessing the next big Perth outfit in its infancy.
Following this half-hour set was TOWNS, with a line up change as frontman Aston was unable to tour due to personal reasons leaving drummer Dan to represent the duo alongside Cahli Blakers (from Teenage Joans) on guitar. An understandably mismatched set followed, with a few covers and improvisations along the way. It was often hard to tell what was and wasn’t a TOWNS track, but the duo did not fail in getting the crowd ready and rowdy.
The third and final support act came with Brisbane’s own Sweater Curse, a cool, calm and collected package. Playing tracks from their new EP See You, they attracted a solid crowd with clearly developed vocals and clean instrumentals. Sweater Curse was the perfect warm-up, getting the crowd primed for the headliners.
Bugs arrived onstage to an already buzzing venue and launched straight into Instant Coffee to open their set, followed by Glue. These older tracks with singable lyrics made for the perfect opening to encourage crowd involvement and set the tone for the rest of the set.
This crowd interaction was a running theme of the night with Bugs continuing this trend throughout each song. Punchy and theatrical, this was a standout live performance. The energy was high, even when toned back for softer moments like Personal Saviour and Heart On Your Sleeve.
The three-piece continued their run through the latest album with standout renditions of Something’s Bound To Go Bad that had the unruly crowd up and singing along, and Don’t Want Me Back was a true display of the talent that each member individually possesses and how they pull this together live.
When lead vocalist Connor Brooker sung the first line Kelly Clarkson’s Since U Been Gone, the overly excited crowd erupted. Lending the track their punchy and raw pop-rock sound, the trio undoubtedly enjoyed bringing this to life. The infectious moment whipped through the venue and left no person untouched.
Sweaty and raw, the tracks just kept on coming with the ever-quotable Esky Lid and Neighbourhood before closing on their current hit Seriously. This catchy tune had the crowd screaming every word back to the smiling trio. This is a band that knows how to translate their radio hits into a live performance and was a highlight of the hour-long set.
With a well thought out mix of new and old tracks, Bugs performed a raw and honest set to please the ever rowdy crowd. The obvious chemistry and mateship that played out on stage between members was a refreshing and fun look into the trio.
Words and photos by
AMBER LILLEY
