Live Review: Ocean Grove, Sleep Talk, Something Something Explosion, Public High

Riding on the wave of the success of their new track Ask For The Anthem, charismatic Melbourne four-piece Ocean Grove burst back into the Adelaide heavy scene last night on the last leg of their national headlining tour.

Opening the show, Public High channelled some of the more psychedelic '70s movements and Something Something Explosion gave us an up-tempo punk/Motorhead juxtaposition. It’s clear to see why main support and local act Sleep Talk have enjoyed their own national praise recently, following with their reflective brand of heavy, melodic songwriting.

As Ocean Grove exploded onto the stage to launch their new single Ask For The Anthem, they were difficult to ignore. Thrashing nu-metal, progressive and hardcore together into one satisfying and beautifully chaotic blend, Ocean Grove were unapologetic and unpretentious. There’s something about a charismatic frontman in a kilt that makes it hard to take yourself too seriously. 

Despite the recent line-up changes the band are sharp, staying tight and true to the sound Ocean Grove are known for. Toward the middle of their set, The Wrong Way inevitably went the right way for the audience, sparking the kind of sombre and grungey atmosphere you’d expect to see in a Nirvana music video.

Following this was a unifying ode to Australian music, as the boys whipped the crowd up in sync with their own rendition of The Presets' My People, before they closed with a monster delivery of their own track Thunderdome, from The Rhapsody Tales. Masters of the anthem, their tracks could not have more appropriate titles. Ocean Grove surely have plenty more still to come, filling a gap in Australia's progressive heavy scene that so many people have longed for.