Words by: Belinda Quick
Photos by: Cameron Stemmler
People are seen through the stained glass window of our imagination –
Erik Pevernagie – The Hidden Sides of His Character
Sound and sight are surely the most cherished and vital human senses. The way each is capable of shifting perception is supernatural, when experienced in conjunction the effect is like heaven on earth; all the angels are here, more beautiful than ever.
A Monday night of live music christens Adelaide’s working week, and sans stained glass of its own, the Lion Arts Factory pulsates with music and beams with light that liven the darkened North Terrace. Regrettably without time tonight, the live performance of FUTURE STATIC evades me, yet the lasting memory remains vivid. Most recently gracing the venue in July, I’m greeted by excitement and told, ‘They were electric; the best start imaginable’ to a night just beginning.
Erupting onto a neon backlit stage, REDHOOK’s band members precede Emmy Mack. Bomb.com. Guitarist Craig Wilkinson channels Dr. Frankenstein, commanding the waking monster, as Mack leaps into the Hot Tub of the moshpit. Bubbles flying around the iridescently body-wrapped frontwoman, bassist Ned Jankovic hypnotically circumnavigates the stage; the front-of-house trio, arms waving, complete casting a HEXXX with the help of Future Static’s, Amariah Cook.
Thrilled to be offered a suspended sentence, Off With Your Head sees Mack join the audience, dropping to the floor and screaming: ‘You guys are fucking legends!.’ Wilkinson showcases his multi-instrumentalist skill, Soju supplemented by saxophone and crowd chorus, before humour meets horror as Mack dons her trademark Hannibal mask and straightjacket for Psych vs. Psych. Her Dead Walk breaks free of shackles to writhe, as ever, Redhook suffers from no Bad Decisions or missteps; they are a perfect and beautiful Mutation.
Donning the sacred robe of an Adelaide Crows supporter, DON BROCO’s Rob Damiani is archangelian. Guitarists Simon Delaney and Tom Doyle get Everybody moving, rising and falling from precarious daises, as Pretty’s echo is superseded by possibly the most brotherly wall of death witnessed at the Lion Arts Factory. This is Don Broco’s debut visit to Adelaide, and second-final of the 2025 tour, but will certainly not be their last; voices suffering but spirits high, we’re implored, to join them in song.
Perhaps a little influenced by the works of the imagination, new hit, Cellophane, sounds as resplendent as ever. Bathed under star-spangled light, Gumshield’s ‘medicine has everyone dancing’ and Don Broco are ‘on it with me’. Damiani’s sore throat soothed in between tracks, he becomes a man ‘possessed’. The stage bathed in hellish tones, Manchester Super Reds No.1 Fan riots, as ‘still shaking off the weekend’ the earthquake of the jump up threatens: ‘fuck the world then save the earth.’
You Wanna Know who is stronger than, and far-and-away a more heavenly sight, than even the almighty Bruce Willis? These Bedford boys, whose Superlove for their fans know no bounds and concedes no limits. Endorphins in full flight, Matt Donnelly’s phenomenal duet of drums and backing vocals lift the Hype Man, as Don Broco closes out the main set. A sudden silence amongst ‘the best crowd of the whole tour’, the encore’s arrival assuages the senses; T-Shirt Song is a sight to behold, as dozens of garments are flown like ceremonial flags.
Transfixed in technicolour forever, Damiani’s smile and heartfelt words define the final moments.
‘This connection is what it’s all about” and, over for tonight, will live on, in the echoes and visions of our wildest imagination.’
FUTURE STATIC
REDHOOK
DON BRONCO
