Live Review: Luca Brasi, Grenadiers, Ceres, The Hard Aches

If you're looking for a quiet, relaxing night out, a Luca Brasi gig is probably not the right place for you. The Tassie punk-rock quartet took to the Crown And Anchor to launch their new album By A Thread, where they were joined by locals The Hard Aches and Grenadiers. Melbournites Ceres joined supports too, also having recently launched their debut album I Don't Want To Be Anywhere But Here. All three tore through their high energy sets and by the time the supporting bands had wrapped up, the Cranka's $2 beer was flowing and the crowd was amped for Luca Brasi.

These guys know how to put on one hell of a live show, playing favourites from their 2011 debut album Extended Family such as Theme Song From HQ and Isaac Bowen, for which they were joined on stage by The Hard Aches frontman Ben David. As the night progressed, the punters slowly lost their inhibitions, no doubt due to the Cranka's cheap drinks and high energy atmosphere that would see even the tamest of gig-goers come undone. Bodies crashed through the crowd and fists were thrown in the air, lyrics were shouted back into the faces of the boys onstage and everyone looked like they were having the time of their lives. If you need any further proof of how explosive a Luca Brasi show is, frontman Tyler Richardson played through a broken string on his bass, which was shortly followed by another broken string for guitarist Patrick Marshall. The Hard Aches were quick to lend a helping hand by offering up their guitars as replacements, and the show continued.

The boys looked absolutely stoked to see the Crown And Anchor's tiny band room brimming and the crowd chanting along with every word. As the night came to a close, the Luca Brasi boys thanked the crowd for coming out on a “school night” and sticking it out through the new songs. As they began to pack up their gear, a chant for one more song brought the Tasmanians back onstage. The boys excitedly stated, “This has never happened before, we never get asked to play encores,” before launching into one final song. As the room slowly emptied, every sweaty, dishevelled punter had a grin from ear-to-ear and a hoarse throat. Aussie punk is alive and well, and Luca Brasi can attest to that.