FIDLAR @ Metropolis Fremantle
w/ Good Doogs
Friday, July 12, 2019
There are some gigs that you attend where the anticipation is almost too great to handle. You find yourself filled with so much nervous energy that you either annoy those around you or pass on that energy. This was certainly the case on Friday night when people piled into Metro Freo with that same energy. The excitement and joy was clearly evident on the faces of everyone around. After all, the last time FIDLAR played a headline tour in WA was way back in 2013.
Mandurah locals Good Doogs were clearly the best fit for the night. The pit was already a decent size as people were just as keen to see these lads as they were for the headline act. They opened their act with Sinking Forties, Nothing To Do, and Haha Alright Then. Perfect really for a crowd drinking as much as possible and hailing from Perth. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Good Doogs set without the essential shoey.
By the time they finished their set, the crowd was well and truly warmed up. There was an air of electricity vibrating throughout the room as we all waited for FIDLAR to take the stage. They finally stepped out, Zac Carper wearing hi-vis, Elvis Kuehn looking sharp in a shirt with his hair slicked back, Brandon Schwartzel in overalls and Max Kuehn in jeans and tee – looking decidedly not like a rock and roll band (doctor, farmer, greaser – Can’t You See?) and opened with Alcohol (from their new album Almost Free), Cheap Beer, and Stoked and Broke.
The audience sang along with every song and when Carper started with By Myself, he was stunned into surprise and happy laughter as we all sung the opening verse as loudly as we could. Carper announced that they had managed to get a deal with Netflix for a documentary about moshpits. “There are cameras everywhere. Perth is going to be in the doco.” The Perth crowd did not let FIDLAR down as the energy in the pit was knocked up several notches.
It was a good old fashioned mosh pit. If someone was knocked over, the others made room and helped them up, everyone had smiles on their faces and there didn’t appear to be any unnecessary violence. In an interview that we recently did with Carper, he had mentioned that one of the cool things about a FIDLAR gig was that you just weren’t physically able to have your phones out because of all the crowd surfers and he was right. There were barely any phones out and it was just so refreshing to see people actually living in the moment.
“It’s East Coast vs West Coast vibe. We’re way better than those East Coast mother fuckers right??” Carper yelled into the mic with the crowd going crazy as they played West Coast. FIDLAR brought out all their hits including 5/9, Scam Likely, No Waves and Bad Habits before walking off stage. They also created a girls only mosh pit which was just awesome to see.
Of course, that was not the end of the show as they came back out and got everyone to sit on the floor. “You’ll know when to get back up” Carper said as they broke into Cocaine. He was right. Everyone knew the exact moment to jump up. They ended their set with Wake Bake Shake.
FIDLAR’s set is exactly what is missing in rock and roll these days. The music is excellent (even if their latest album has divided fans who try to say it’s not ‘punk’ – their loss for sure), the energy they put out and feed off of from the crowd is just insane. They might have gotten 10/10 but this reviewer is annoyed they didn’t play Kick. One of the best songs from Almost Free. Hopefully, they don’t leave it so long before their next headline tour down under.
KAREN LOWE
Photos by Karen Lowe
