Saturday 14 June
Supports: The Comfort, Cordiform
Greaser Bar was turned into a therapy office on Saturday night with Narrm-based First Nations indie punk band Chasing Ghosts playing their final leg on their latest Australian tour for their new album Therapy with The Comfort and Cordiform. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this show, never having been to a punk show before. But I can truly say this was one of the most fun gigs I’ve ever been to and safest I’ve ever felt at any show yet thanks to both the crowd and the bands.
Cordiform not only opened the night for everyone with their pop punk tunes but delivered their first ever show in Brisbane! The band did the job of getting the crowd of early punters hyped up for the night. These guys had an infectious energy and even if you didn’t know their music, they made sure you were energised for what was to come. One of my favourite things from the set was their guitarist Sage and the energy she carried. If you know Greaser, you know it’s a small venue but that didn’t stop Sage from jumping and running around and giving it her all. The whole band made sure to own the space they were given.
By the time local Meanjin band The Comfort took the stage, the small room started to feel even smaller as people took up what space they could. I’ve known about The Comfort for a few years now and to hear them live? Truely epic. The guy’s treated Brisbane with an unreleased song that’s coming out in the next few weeks and talks of a newer stuff to come soon.
The guys hyped up the crowd, the whole time encouraging everyone to get even closer to them. Keeping the ball rolling with new music, the boys performed their new song ‘Down’ and gave us their epic heavy cover of ‘Somebody‘ by The 1975, which sounded fantastic live from these guys. They have a version of it out on Spotify but honestly, I think the live version tops it.
I also must mention my favourite song from these guys ‘Love & Other Drugs‘. Like many, I first heard of the band through EP, Love and to hear this song live had not only me, but many others singing loudly and had the multiple people in the crowd dancing and enjoying the vibe.
Once their set ended the room started to get packed with everyone waiting for Chasing Ghosts to come and take the floor. The energy from the moment they started was high as everyone embraced hearing their new album live for the first time, mixed in with some of their other music as well. One of the things I enjoyed the most about their set was the themes Therapy explores and the messages they were wanting to get across while performing.
Every moment Jimmy Kyle would address the crowd and share the importance of the themes of this album I found myself entranced. He had a special way to how he addressed and connected with the crowd though the set. During songs like ‘My Bingayi‘, Jimmy could be seen running through the crowd and singing to audience members, getting close and personal like no other artist would.
The night never seemed to stop with the emotions from the hit single ‘Flowers‘ dedicated to Sean ‘SK’ Kennedy (former bassist for I Killed The Prom Queen and Deez Nuts) as a plea from the band for you to talk to your friends and know that you are never alone.
We even got a treat in Brisbane with special quest Emmy Hour to sing ‘IWPTEK’ with them, expressing the importance of showing support to those who are in the LGBTQIA+ community that you may not ever fully understand the experience but ensuring you are standing alongside them, not against.
The Therapy album tour lived up to its name and I’ve walked away with a newfound appreciation for this Aussie local band. It was a fantastic end to the tour and I’m keen to see how they grow and evolve from here. Hopefully we shall see them tackle larger stages because they sure as hell have the energy for it.
Review and Photos by Alastair Butterworth
