The Live At The Orchard season is in full swing after a gigantic opening weekend, massive events in Regurgitator and Bob Evans & Josh Pyke last weekend and is now about to enter the third weekend of it’s live music program.
And wow, what a venue. Set at the foot of the city skyline, it boasts open air rooftop vibes, hipster decor and lighting, food vans, pop up craft beer bars, VIP bars and a festival sized stage set amongst the greenery of the Urban Orchard. This place is the best night out in Perth at the moment.
Last Saturday, punters rolled in early just to have a drink in the summer sun and watch it set upon the breathtaking city backdrop. Revellers made good use of the ping pong tables and totem tennis apparatuses spread out around the gardens in waiting for the first act to take the stage.
Sugar Army opened the night and slid comfortably into the relaxed vibe. Even with their progressive/ heavy sound the tunes were delivered with such cool and swagger the crowd couldn’t help being drawn to the stage, beers in hands and heads nodding in approval.
With a set spanning their entire repertoire, they opened with Will You Follow from their Summertime Heavy album before showcasing some newer material from their latest album with tracks, Beast, Battles, The Storm It Comes and Gold Touch. The old favourites where there, Acute, Tongues In Cheeks and Maybe The Boy Who Cried Wolf Was Just Paranoid. Sugar Army delivered a strong and striking set without looking like they even broke a sweat.
With the crowd now primed, lurching at the stage, Regurgitator burst into the opening track, I Sucked A Lot Of Cock To Get Where I Am. In the first three songs we were educated to the diversity of a band that transcends genres and were the Aussie precursors of fusing grunge rock, EDM beats and hip hop verses. The electro pop of Everyday Formula got everyone moving, then the hen hip hop rhymes of I Will Lick Your Asshole got everyone low.
The show delivered a good dose of what seems to have been missing from the world of late, FUN. There was a universal crowd of ages spanning the fans of the 90’s to the fans of today. The venue was right, the sound was phenomenal and the band were on point, delivering songs that are just massively entertaining.
Placed early in the set, crowd favourite and biggest charting hit, Polyester Girl received high response, but it didn’t peak there with The Drop and I, Zombie from the band in the bubble, Mish Mash! era, then straight back to 1993’s Tu Plang with Blubber Boy and Track 1.
With such a fun and inclusive vibe it was hard to choose between concentrating on watching the band or just getting lost dancing with your immediate surrounds. Kung Foo Sing got the whole orchard singing along, then came ! (The Song Formerly Known As) that got the whole orchard jumping. After a short break they returned for the encore of Social Disaster.
So. Much. Fun.
The set up of the Urban Orchard with the Live At The Orchard series is just so spot on, and with so many great shows yet to come, most immediately The Record Club Roadshow: Beatles with ELO and Gizzfest with Pond and King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard this weekend, I strongly urge you to get down and check out this local gem.
