No Sister opened up the evening with some post-punk vibes. It’ll be worth catching them when their upcoming LP drops and they’re even more match fit. Californian indie lads The Cairo Gang then made sure the audience was good and ready for a Kim Salmon-led rock assault. After a string of other projects and a decent hiatus, Salmon must have thought this was as good a time as any to get his old mates back together for a few intimate shows – perhaps due to some renewed interest in last year’s A Place Called Bad (from super cool Chicago reissue legends Numero Group).
The rollicking rhythm of ‘Rev Head’ got things moving – the belting drums and brutal bassline had a bit more space as there were slightly fewer bodies in the bandroom than your usual Corner on a Saturday evening. It’s a shame really, especially since the people who did get the memo still left their raucous Saturday night behaviour at home. From there it was a one-two punch with the signature ‘Atom Bomb Baby’ and ‘Fire Escape’. Both tracks seeing the frontman use as much vocal energy as possible. Other hits for the night included ‘This Is My Happy Hour’, a false start of ‘Burnout’, ‘Braindead’, ‘When Worlds Collide’ and ‘We Had Love’ among others.
The sound throughout the night was fair but some of the nuance of that murky, muddy guitar came out much cleaner. It was as if the looseness was somewhat tightened, losing the swampy psychedelia in the process. With the amount of music projects, guest appearances and bit-parts Kim Salmon has played over more recent years, it’s easy to forget how iconic the sound he helped create with Scientists is. Salmon and his bandmates made something special, paving the way for a slew of others and ending up with such a unique Aussie sound.
The encore of ‘Swampland’, ‘Murderess In A Purple Dress’, ‘If It’s The Last Thing I Do’ brought the house down with some killer harp, throttling fills and discordant ear assaults. I particularly liked the fact that it took me the whole show to notice a 6”7’ bloke standing in front of a pillar, ruining nobody else’s view in the process. Well played tall bloke, and well played Scientists.
Highlight: ‘Swampland’.
Lowlight: Viewing from behind one of the infamous pillars.
Crowd Favourite: ‘Blood Red River’.
