67 Special

It was a small crowd who descended on The Zoo on Saturday night but what it lacked in size it made up for in pure enthusiasm; the cheers and shouting filled the venue with a cacophony I have seen crowds double the size fail to accomplish.

First on the evening’s bill was Black Mustang who delivered dirty rock and roll; the type that pulls you down into the swamp with them to revel in the mess. They are one of Brisbane’s finest rock bands and one that should never be missed.

Mary Trembles put on an abrasive and ultimately lacklustre performance. While they were loud and screamed like banshees, the music was ineffectual, leaving the crowd somewhat disengaged. The set was dotted with crowd pleasers such as Triple J stalwart 'Scene From Below', however,they nonetheless came off as a band that still has a lot of room to grow.

In stark contrast to the band that preceded them, 67 Special took a hold of the crowd, enthralling them for the next hour with their particularly special brand of ‘shake, rattle and roll’. There were free beers, great rock and roll and so much rock posturing that at times it felt like being in a very extended video clip. Performing a set that was comprised heavily of songs from their recently released album Devil May Care, their exuberant performance could have blown the walls out of the Zoo. It was the kind of show you could watch for hours and leave wishing that all live bands could be even half as entertaining. With live shows this energising and the songs to back it up, 67 Special deserve to be recognised as one of Australia’s great rock acts.

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