Live Review: Radio Birdman, Hard-Ons, Hits

Brisbane rock outfit Hits came on with energy bigger than their early slot. While frontman ‘Evil Dick’ Richards yelled and staggered, lead guitar Tamara Dawn was commanding with her leads and firebrand bends. New record, HIKIKOMORI was produced by Birdman’s own Rob Younger, and cuts like Bitter And Twisted scorch live. Closing with a cover of Shadowplay, the band kicked up again, ending on wild screaming and soloing.

Hard-Ons are a band that came around in the post-Birdman squall of the ‘80s, and it was fitting that they could get noisy beforehand. Shirts came off early as expected. They mined 30 years of back catalogue, with feral economy the name of the game.

After discussing better-ranked Australian guitarists, Peter “Blackie” Black informed his crowd that everything was great about music. It feels like everything is great when the Hard-Ons play: ballsy, violent and charming all at once. Old boys ripped a ton of farts as Ray Ahn’s bass shredded through them. It was beautiful – smelt horrible.

Opening with Smith & Wesson Blues, Radio Birdman careened through a tight recap of their impassioned and hefty legacy. Anglo Girl Desire soon followed in a trademark blaze, with Deniz Tek’s solo arriving as red-hot and sore as ever. The guitar work from Tek and Dave Kettley – stand-in for founding guitarist Chris Masuak – is on point all night, with characteristic Birdman musicality and ferocity.

Standards like Murder City Nights and New Race were fitted into the back end, ensuring a potent and cathartic final third. Punters went mad, celebrating the lasting quality of a special Australian band. Birdman acknowledged their old friends, and new, in the Sydney audience.

Their run of sold-out shows should serve as a wake-up call for a majority Australian music scene hell-bent on lethargy. A band pushing past middle age and still straining limits – surely there’s nothing more inspiring for the next wave.