Live Review: Tijuana Cartel, Kallidad, Brains Trust

12 January 2015 | 1:58 pm | Stephanie Oakes

Tijuana Cartel left the Sunshine Coast with something to talk about.

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It’s rare to have a room filled at 9pm for the very first act of the night, but Brains Trust must definitely have some local cult followers because punters are filing into Solbar in quick succession, packing the room ready for a balmy night of tunes.

The three-piece from Brisbane has the crowd milling around the room with drinks in hands and people are already boogying by the first few songs. They play a short set of downbeat but groovy tunes and are the most humble of performers to boot.

Kallidad then take the stage. Witnessing the live performance of the heavy metal Mexican-inspired musos is something everyone has to experience when they get the chance. The three boys from Sydney delve deep into their alter egos of Senor Bang Bang, The Raven and Jacinko, transformed with their famous Dia de Muertos painted faces and crazy eyes. The rarity of finding a purely instrumental band these days able to get people dancing as heavily as they do to Kallidad is astounding. Their energy and fingerpicking are second to none and there wouldn’t be a band in the world that would be a more fitting opener for the headliners of the night.

The vibe in the room is building and reaches a crescendo when Tijuana Cartel step onto the stage. Absolutely flying through their set at breakneck speed, they provide the floors of Solbar with some of the heaviest footstomping imaginable, with dance circles forming and even security guards dispatched into the crowd joining in on the moves. Once again, some of the most humble performers out there, genuinely leaving the stage at the end of the set, after a deafening chant of “Encore!” they return, grinning ear to ear and treating the crowd to an extra four songs to end the night.

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With Tijuana Cartel enticing the crowd with a mix of tunes from both M1 and 24 Bit Guitar Orchestra, Kallidad later return to the stage for the closer and put on such an energetic performance that it’d be impossible to have left the gig without feeling on top of the world. With everything from bongos to brass instruments, techno beats and then the MC of the night joining in for a couple of rap numbers, the gig has every requirement to ensure Sunshine Coast punters will be talking about this night for weeks to come.