Live Review: Mezzanine, Tired Lion, Pat Chow, Black Stone From The Sun, Surf Rabbits

Swan-song shows are a sad occasion at the best of times, and this was no different.

After seven years together, local rockers Mezzanine called it a day with their final show on Saturday night. On the plus-side, Saturday nights tend to bring more people into the venue than Fridays, and the vibe seemed positive and healthy as a small crowd gathered for Surf Rabbits shortly after 8pm.

Their surf-punk vibes got people moving early; frontrunning single, Hit The Beach, was a highlight and would be a great summer soundtrack – and they certainly earned some new fans, this reviewer included, with a fun and catchy set. Black Stone From The Sun rocked out harder than anyone else on the night, a big feat considering they’re only a two-piece. Jack Nelson’s drumming display was absolutely superb, his speed and composure behind the kit making for an entertaining performance, while Sean Mackay’s long hair awesomely complemented his ability to throw himself around stage.

Pat Chow always bring plenty of energy to the stage with their ‘90s-style grunge-rock. Bad Thoughts is a highlight of every set and they used that to draw in the crowd from the courtyard straight away. They’ve got a strong set at their disposal these days; hopefully we’ll see an album of sorts coming our way soon. Tired Lion had even the people waiting to get into Capitol at midnight dancing, their equal parts catchy and surging guitar riffs offering up something for the headbangers and the groovers. Popular track, Desperate, received a cheer of recognition, while they played a bunch of other tracks that we can only be hoping make the cut for some recorded material later down the track.

“Packed out crowd, woo!” Mezzanine vocalist Cory Rist exclaimed as the band took to the stage before what was very close to a full room. They couldn’t have hoped for anything more and they played with all the enthusiasm they could muster. The die-hard fans up the front were having an absolute ball as the band chugged out track after track from their only full-length album, including Young Love, King Of The Ring, Mary and title track, Strange Paradise. The band called up various members from the bands who had played earlier in the evening to cover the Pixies’ hit and regular set feature, Where Is My Mind?, encouraging the audience to chorus back the “Ooooooh”s, which had Rist looking absolutely delighted.

The band finished off with their biggest hits, Someone To Abuse and Mannequin Man, leaving the crowd feeling well and truly buzzed, happy that the band could go out on such a high. Farewell Mezz, we’re gonna miss you!