Live Review: Uncle Buck, Donnie's Guns, Sound Of Truth

"All the way from Brisbane", Sound Of Truth kick off the night with a set that ticks all of the rock boxes, with some powerful lead vocals sailing over shredding solos on a Les Paul and a rhythm section with some serious groove and as tight as — oh, grow up. The set is jam packed full of quality rock riffs, drumstick twirls and choruses where all four members chip in with vocals to create a sound that's much bigger than one would assume an opening act would be capable of (but you know what they say about assuming).    

As Donnie's Guns take the stage, we're all informed that we're missing The Bachelor for this show. So that was the night done, everyone went home to watch romantic "reality" shows and eat ice cream from the tub while crying. But seriously, this three-piece weave through a rich tapestry of genre crossovers, transitioning from jangly, indie-esque ditties to frantic punk riffs; the whole set having a pretty unique-but-not-outrageous undertone to it, like if Franz Ferdinand discovered distortion and speed. The set rolls on with an ode to the week's political shit-storm and a personal highlight by way of whistling solo. 

The initial disappointment of Uncle Buck not actually consisting of a zombie John Candy is quickly compensated for when they kick into gear. Like a steel-capped kick to the teeth, the four-piece unleash a brutal display of hardcore onto an unsuspecting audience. There's some obvious Municipal Waste and Slayer influences coming through as the down-tuned set gets more distorted, the volume ramps up and everything charges on at warp-speed complete with some impressive musicality. Vocalist Wade Felsch is a prime example of born frontman; the guy has some serious presence, completely commanding the stage and the crowd as it breaks into an eight-man circle pit, all the while letting loose some throat-ripping vocals. The songs rarely go past the two-minute mark — which is lucky, because it's damn near impossible not to whip your head, and if each song went for any longer there would be broken necks galore. This band may be only relatively new to the hardcore crowd, but with shows like this they're putting the scene on notice and any thrash and hardcore fans best keep an eye out for future shows. Be warned though, it's not nearly as family-friendly as a John Candy movie.