Last DinosaursTen years after their second album, Wellness, was released into a golden era of Australian indie music, Brisbane's Last Dinosaurs are back on tour celebrating its success.
After recently releasing their new and imaginatively titled rework, WELLNXSS, the band hit Sydney’s Metro Theatre last night for the penultimate stop of their anniversary tour, bringing US band Bad Suns along for the ride.
For those of you reading who are unfamiliar with Last Dinosaurs, here is a quick history lesson. The band, consisting of brothers Sean and Lachlan Caskey, both of whom are vocalists and guitarists, and bassist Michael Sloane, was formed in 2007.
At times, it can be easy to categorise bands by genre, but with Last Dinosaurs, this isn’t really the case. Phrases like 'summer vibes' and 'midnight drives' can begin to paint a picture, but hopefully, this article prompts you to listen to them and find out for yourself.
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In 2012, they released their debut studio album, In A Million Years, which received critical praise from Australian media, most notably from triple j. Five albums later, their music has taken them down some interesting avenues, but the core of the band’s sound is still there to hear.
Back to last night, and with the band fresh off their latest show in Newcastle the day before, Last Dinosaurs arrived at the Metro Theatre in full swing. The long queue outside on George Street, a customary sight for a Metro Theatre gig, was a sea of vintage graphic T-shirts and baggy jeans, buzzing with energy. By the time the lights finally dipped inside the historic venue, and the crowd had settled, the time had come for a nostalgic masterclass in what made that defining era in Australian music so great.
Walking into the Metro Theatre felt like walking into a portal back in time, to a time when music felt pure and a little rugged around the edges. What struck you as you made your way up the stairs towards the stage was a large chandelier looming up above and retro arcade games in the corner of the room; this was no corporate venue.
Since 1994, the Metro Theatre has always been a premier crucible for live Australian indie music, and it’s easy to see why one of Sydney’s leading independent live music venues is able to attract such high-calibre artists.
Before Last Dinosaurs could grace the stage, Bad Suns offered everyone a crash course in how to nail a supporting slot. With over 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, this was hardly a support act and felt more like a dual headliner.
Generally, support acts perform to only a modestly sized crowd compared to a headliner, but this was different. The venue was almost full from the very start, and the crowd felt well and truly warmed up the moment the Californian band stepped out onto the stage.
Watching Bad Suns felt like you were living in an American coming-of-age movie where you are the main character. It made you want to drive to the beach in an open-top Jeep on your way to go surfing, while blasting out their music for everyone to hear. It felt greedy knowing their set, including Cardiac Arrest, Communicating, and Daft Pretty Boys as a finale, was only the beginning of an already memorable night of music.
A tough act to follow for most, but not for Last Dinosaurs. Finally taking the stage under the vibrant lights of the Metro Theatre, the trio wasted no time making their presence felt. With a quick, casual greeting to the Sydney crowd and a feeling of relief to finally be back in the city, the band plugged straight in and kicked the night into overdrive with the first song off the Wellness album, Take Your Time. This was then followed by the infectious rhythm of songs like Evie and Wurl.
Because tonight was specifically billed as an anniversary celebration, you might expect a set comprised of playing a full album to have some natural lulls in energy, but you would be mistaken. The band played through the heart of the Wellness catalogue, tapping into an almost magical connection they have with their fans that sets them apart from others. During Karma, the crowd matched the band’s onstage energy beat for beat, turning the floor into a massive, bouncing collective.
If you were curious enough at the start of this article to give Last Dinosaurs a listen, you may be thinking that, although there would be a high-energy feel to the set, in general, it would be a chill evening with absolutely no signs of mosh pits. You would be wrong. Around halfway into the set, and on the instruction of Sean saying, 'let's mosh,' the crowd didn’t hesitate, triggering an immediate, frantic mosh pit to form in the centre of the floor during the song Purist.
Between tracks, Caskey paused only occasionally to interact with the crowd, as the band seemed, at times, to be flying through the setlist at a relentless pace. This is the downside of trying to play a full album alongside a stacked back catalogue of fan favourite hits. However, a notable anecdote shared by the lead vocalist was an admission that some of the B-sides off the album were recorded directly through his MacBook microphone, as opposed to a more professional setup, which is something for fans to listen out for when they revisit the album later.
The main set concluded with Apollo as the final song from Wellness to be played, and as the trio left the stage, it led to the inevitable chant of “one more song”. Sydney wasn’t treated to just one more song, but four: Weekend, Sense, Eleven, and Zoom.
The crowd maintained the same enthusiasm right until the final, explosive chords of Zoom. As the last note was played and the theatre lights came back on, Last Dinosaurs left behind a room full of sweaty, exhausted fans reeling from pure indie nostalgia.
A decade on, the tracks from Wellness still hold their own. This tour wasn’t just about celebrating the success of a singular album, but the evolution of a band that has become, and remains, a cornerstone of the Australian indie scene.
