Eskimo JoeUpon arrival to the Astor on Saturday night an already impressive number of punters were greeted with the ear-drum assaulting '80s hair rock meets Megadeth sounds of Red Engine Caves, who being men of few words got right down to it with a friendly, “Hello, thanks for coming early” from lead singer and guitarist Ricky. And like so many consummate professionals, they got the crowd revved up and redlining right off the line. Bassist Matty had some issues with his instrument and pulled in to pit lane while the other guys continued the race. With a quick fix though, Matty was back on the track and the group blew through the finish line with the pedal still to the floor.
Rainy Day Women hit the stage next, and while still offering very high energy themselves it seemed like the gears had shifted down just a bit as if to pace for the distance still ahead. The Beach Boys vibe definitely came through during their set and it suited them to a T. Lead Singer Dylan Ollivierre intimated that one of the first things he ever bought was an Eskimo Joe album, so he was really excited to be supporting them. Watch these guys closely, there's something about this group that screams quiet achievers.
When the lights went down to herald the arrival of Eskimo Joe (with Stu and Kav sporting their early Movember caterpillar colonies) the crowd roared. The guys played several old favourites before playing Running Out Of Needs from their latest album Wastelands. Kav Temperley gave intimate stories behind each track, sharing memories of writing London Bombs while living in Cairns and trying to get hold of an ex-girlfriend when the news broke of the bombings, but also talking of the lighter side, including $2 student nights at the Newport in Freo before songwriting sessions in their house on Baker Street at the time. Not only were the crowd being entertained by the boys but brought into the inner circle one song at a time. One punter even threw her bra inserts at Stu, with Kav afterwards joking that it was the next step in the evolution of bra throwing. The frontman then wrapped up the night by jumping down from the stage and singing most of the last song from deep within the crowd.
