The downstairs bar is buzzing. Anticipation can be sensed in the room as The Factory in Maroochydore is slowly filling up. The Delta Riggs are in town and they’re the crusaders of a heavy, dirty and sweaty night on the coast.

The Royal Artillery, three semi-local boys from Brissy, are the ones to kick off the night. Convincing the crowd to get into the swing of things with bluesy, fuzzy guitar licks and a heavy, heavy sound, The Royal Artillery get all the mop-haired groms in the crowd head-banging within the first ten minutes of their set.

Turning things up on the party dial are the next batch of home-grown supports, Lime Cordiale. Decked out in tropical party shirts and drenched in pink lighting, the black brick walls and grungy feel of The Factory is transformed. The dudes littering the crowd in DZ Deathrays, VS and Dunies shirts have switched from violent thrashing to swing dancing and when there’s a trumpet included in the regular instrumental line-up, you know it’s gonna be one hell of a good time. The band finish on Bullshit Aside, which is the most inaccurate title for the previous killer tunes both bands have hit the punters with already.

Now, whether it’s a combination of heavily flowing beer or just general hype in the room, the crowd is getting steadily rowdier by the time The Delta Riggs hit the stage. The sound of The Delta Riggs will completely take you over and command your full attention but evidently, perhaps this pull is too strong. Maybe half a dozen punters in the room hadn’t attended many gigs before because most people know that one of the most disrespectful things to do during a show is to invade the stage. This happened so much that leader Elliott Hammond had to yell out to the crowd between songs, “You guys are all fucking mad dogs and we wanna play some sick music, but if you keep crowding our stage, you’re gonna fuck up our shit.” This isn’t the kind of thing that seasoned musos should have to say mid gig. With drummer Simon McConnell being grabbed and shaken onstage, the end of the show had them walking off with a shake of their heads. After seeing the set list, it’s evident they aren’t completely pleased, as they left Ra Ra Radio, one of their biggest hits, off of the end of their set.

Complaints and drunken punters aside, The Delta Riggs put on an insane show. They tear through nearly every hit they had plus all their new ones from Dipz Zebazios and seem genuinely blown away that so many punters know nearly every word. These guys are freaking talented and they’re just going to get bigger and bigger. Hopefully next time they visit the Sunshine Coast, that little minority within the crowd can give them the respect they have earned and deserve.