Live Review: Tumbleweed, Hits, Kaleidoscope

There's a solid crowd of old school stoner rock acolytes out early tonight as young Illawarra trio Kaleidoscope open proceedings and show from the get-go that they know as much about the 'Weed and their ilk as anyone. Dreadlocks are flailing everywhere as they pummel out a string of solid groove-laden numbers, the youngsters putting volume at a premium but emitting some pretty cool tones in the process.

By all accounts, Brisbane powerhouse HITS have had a night of calamity with a string of unfortunate events befalling them, but in among the mayhem they squeeze in a typically raucous set of dirty rock'n'roll. They begin with staple Fuck The Needy and recent single Take Your Pills, then showcase a song which may or may not be called Second Hand Drugs which sounds killer, as charismatic frontman Evil Dick works the crowd and the band churn out riff after riff. There's some sloppy moments but that's the beauty of such debaucherous rock, and when they finish with a smashing rendition of Touch Of The Shorts and their cover of The Laughing Dogs' I Need A Million (which they long ago made their own), all seems slightly hazy but right in the world.

Even though they've been here a few times now since reforming the original line-up, there's a big crowd assembled and a tangible sense of anticipation for Wollongong stoner legends Tumbleweed tonight, and the five-piece don't take any time to remind why they're so revered, powering into the evergreen Daddy Long Legs like they've never been away. Frontman Richie Lewis still cuts a laconic figure out front but his voice slices through like a knife as they follow on with God and the irrepressible Sundial, which still sounds as punchy and hooky as it did back in the day. The band are in ominous form and the sound is crisp but heavy, and they scatter a handful of new tracks in among the more familiar material, these cuts keeping up the tempo and ensuring that there's no lulls despite the unfamiliarity. As they reel off numbers like Hang Around, Stoned and Carousel you start to remember why these guys were such a big deal back in the day – these songs are essentially timeless, even if the band is no longer the staple it once was. There's some random incidences of stagediving and crowdsurfing which makes the older crew reminisce fondly, but it's songs like the cruisy Nothing To Do With The Weather and the driving Gyroscope which make tonight so memorable. As the 'Weed finish off a cracking set with Rainbow Water Willow and the pit up front really starts moving, there can be no doubting that this great band are well-and-truly back in action.