Live Review: Batpiss, She's The Band, Dead Joe, Stabbitha & The Knifey Wifeys, Tankerville, Larsen

Stripped Bookings, run by power couple Mick Manning and Cassie O'Grady, has operated in Adelaide for the better part of the past two-and-a-half years supporting the local scene with a particular leaning towards acoustic sessions or punk and metal-based gigs. Having worked closely with the now defunct Black Market and current feature night Punk Ass Kids, the duo at Stripped Bookings know the scene well and Saturday night's bill at the Crown & Sceptre was no exception.

Grunge outfit Larsen kicked off the six-band bill with a slow, heavy set before picking things up and breaking into a cover of Silverchair's Freak. Oddly enough lead vocalist Liam Christensen is almost a spitting image of Daniel Johns circa 1997. 

Melbourne trio Tankerville followed suit with a strong set of pub rock tunes, doling out the advice on everything from World War I to why you shouldn't be a dickhead at a bar; the kind of music that your friend's cool dad plays in their garage with his mates every weekend.

Don't let the name put you off, Stabbitha & The Knifey Wifeys are a bunch of girls and guys playing a few punk-as-fuck tunes with the room at the Crown & Sceptre filling out nicely as they played, capped off by a cover of Splendora's You're Standing On My Neck (remember Daria?) to finish off the set.

Quite apart from the incredible work Manning does outside of the band, he deserves credit and admiration for his work in Dead Joe, leading the punk band over the last six years into becoming one of Adelaide's premier live bands. Starting a little slow and seemingly disinterested, Manning sprang to life in the closing songs, which included current single, Carry Me Home, to finish strongly.

Smashing and bashing out the best set of the night, She's The Band are having an incredible year, having supported Against Me! and The Bennies. Lead singer Elsha McGill commanded the stage with an emphatic display of brash punk vocals. It was no surprise to turn around and see a packed  room fixated on the five musicians on stage.

Heading the bill was Melbourne's Batpiss, currently doing the rounds on their Biomass tour. Good without being great, the trio played at a frenetic pace, as if they were recording a Mad Max soundtrack, complete with strong guitar licks and wild yet deliberate vocals. For a six-band bill at less than the price of a pint, you definitely were getting your bang for your buck. The best gigs are out there — you just have to know where to look.