Live Review: Custom Royal, Legs Electric, Ray Finkle, Kings Cactus

You’re always in for a great night when a local band launches a CD at Amps, especially when the line-up’s as solid as it was on Friday night. King Cactus were a late call up to open on the night, and it was evident they’d been experimenting a little with their sound over the last few months.

The grungy vocals weren’t as prominent any more; instead, the main vocalists complemented each other brilliantly, and the harmonies were spot on. The band certainly seem to be heading in the right direction.

Ray Finkle were up next, bringing to the stage some insanely catchy, surging guitar riffs, and plenty of welcome stage banter. Vocalist Jamie Taylor can work the low-end, grungy sound to the melodic upper register with ease as he sings, and coupled with his freedom of movement of stage, it was fantastic to watch.

Their cover of Electric Six’s Gay Bar was a set highlight, while none of their original material can be named because, as Taylor told us, “We don’t have any names for our songs”; definitely hoping they’ll find the time to knuckle down in the studio sooner or later. Legs Electric upped the ante with some good ol’ fashioned rock‘n’roll – the quartet formed a KISS tribute band the following night; you get the vibe. Ama Quinsee was gutsy as all hell on vocals, her long blonde hair swaying all over the place, and the drumming from Kylie Soanes was ferocious. It was a blistering set and had the building crowd more than warmed up for the headliners.

Custom Royal made their way onto the stage dressed for the occasion – sharp and snappy shirts and suits were the go, and they seemed to hold an air of class about them as they worked their way through a punchy, guitar heavy set. Despite it being their debut EP launch, the band have themselves a solid catalogue, and every song sounded like a polished and honest reflection. They kicked into the EP tracks about half way through the set, and the crowd perked up with recognition. Supernaut and Hide Yourself had a group of punters dancing right at the front, and the band were all too thankful for the effort – they even played an encore as requested by the audience, and it closed out the night on a massive high. A great night for local music, it was.