Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
Pix by Sarah Gilpin
The Superjesus have released one of the best rock albums of the year. It’s self-titled The Superjesus, and it’s their first new whole work together as a band in 20 years. In celebration, The Superjesus have embarked on a national tour, and fans around South East Queensland have had a few chances to catch them. But the best gig was at Norton’s Music Factory at Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast. The venue also gave local emerging bands Oceans For Sirius, Wave Raiders and NMF Outlaws a chance to perform and shine on the winter solstice night with those diamonds of Australian rock, The Superjesus.
I love going up to Norton’s Music Factory at Caloundra, as it is the perfect gig site: great staff, food, drinks and excellent acoustics and atmosphere. The venue is also great at promoting local and emerging musicians and bands. And, the supporting bands for The Superjesus were a great and varied collection of musicians of all ages and genres, honing or demonstrating their skills.
The evening kicked off early with the young local band Oceans For Sirius. The four-piece band from the Sunshine Coast has a blended sound, crossing genres from alternative rock, grunge and metal with a side of screamcore. What was most telling though, was in the delivery of the song Heavy Breathing: there was a great blues voice coming through the sonic mix.
Oceans For Sirius had a good, heavy melodic sound with a great guitarist who rocked those big riffs. They have a captivating lead vocalist with a distinctive look and sound. The set was a great introduction to Oceans For Sirius.
After a quick stage re-arrange, instruments packed away and new instruments and leads put out, Sunshine Coast band Wave Raiders took to the stage and they owned it. The emerging punk rock band comprises Jayden Georg (bass/vocals), Thomas De Waard (drums), both aged 13, and Peter De Waard (guitar/vocals), who is 14 years of age. Despite their tender years, they have been honing their stagecraft since 2022, and it is developing well.
Wave Raiders skills at engaging the crowd with jumping and posing were underpinned with real musical skill as they delivered songs like Don’t Wanna Be Late and instrumental mashed-up covers of the White Stripes, AC/DC and a punk version of Move It. The band demonstrated their youthful energy and exuberant abilities through their very well-played instruments – even the playing of guitars behind their heads – and a lovely happy birthday moment to Chelsea. There is a lot to like here, with three young men on their way as they deliver their version of energetic teenage punk rock. Watch this space!
The evening changed again with a musical history lesson and demonstration of mature musical skills when NMF Outlaws performed an homage to Lynyrd Skynyrd‘s 1973-74 catalogue. There was a lot of love in the venue for the six-piece band. The NMF Outlaws skilfully delivered ‘old skool’ southern and country-tinged rock ‘n’ roll. With an introduction that stated the set was to be blended whiskey and rock ‘n’ roll, they performed the classics Sweet Home Alabama, the fun Gimme Three Steps, Call Me The Breeze and a fantastic version of Needle And The Spoon.
NMF Outlaws, as a band, performed a powerful set with a great vocalist who gave life to the songs as the stories of Norton’s venue and Caloundra were woven into them. The band looked like they had a mile of their own stories with their own musical journeys, as each was an experienced expert on their instrument. They closed out their set with a great version of Free Bird, and the crowd loved it.
Guitars were warmed up, the stage was re-aligned and made ready for the revered Adelaide rockers The Superjesus to take the stage.
First, drummer Ben Todd got into place and started to play. Then, guitarists Stuart Rudd and Cameron Blokland came onto the stage, and the next layer of sounds started. Then, Sarah McLeod arrived to the centre of the stage as the band kicked off with the amazing song Starlight. Then, as the last chords reverb around the venue, McLeod explained the gig to the crowd: “Okay. We are here tonight to play our new album – in full. Then, we will play a set of our greatest hit songs – the ones we know you like”. And that was how the set rolled.
The Superjesus played their outstanding new album in full. It really was a masterclass in delivering a rock gig. With authentic energy from the band and the crowd, the new album delivers blockbuster songs like Romance, We Won’t Let Go Until It’s Over, Money (We’re Only In It For Love), the fantastic rock ballad Diamonds, the fun Something Good and the poignant and affecting Loneliness Is The New Black.
The gig shifted into a higher gear with Gangbusters, the foot-stomping romp of Lights Out and a faithful and fun cover of Generation X’s Dancing With Myself that captures the original song’s energy while adding The Superjesus’s unique rock flair.
The Superjesus had fun with the crowd as they played with the video streaming: “We can watch ourselves in real time” as Sarah McLeod and Stuart Rudd made faces and gestured at the screen. There were discussions about the importance of ironing and using AI filters to fix your wardrobe malfunctions made at photo shoots. The crowd found out that Sarah McLeod is a forgetful ‘train wreck’, but Cameron Blokland is the ‘fixer’. And, that the crowd’s ability to sing along is about 99% beautiful as The Superjesus led singing rounds.
The Superjesus took a short break after the album had been delivered in full. It was wonderful to hear it sound as good live as on streaming or vinyl. Then, the second phase of the night started as the band returned to the stage and launched straight into the fabulous Down Again. The Superjesus had the unenviable task of delivering a tight set from their back catalogue that includes albums like Sumo, Jet Age, Rock Music, the Love And Violence EP and a live double album.
For the fans calling out song names, The Superjesus couldn’t play everything that was a personal love, they thought about it and discussed it, but they stuck to their mix of Now and Then, Secret Agent Man, Ashes, the wonderful Shut My Eyes and they ended with their classic song Gravity. What a way to close out a gig that was full of joy and a “room full of smiling faces” as Sarah McLeod observed.
The secret to The Superjesus is their amazing ability to write fantastic songs. It is their strong point. The band is powerful and dynamic; they sound tight and confident. The Superjesus are a band hitting their purple patch in songwriting and their sweet spot live. Their set showed a band surging forward lyrically, melodically and dynamically to create something really special on a stage, and they are onto “something special, and onto something good – playing rock ‘n’ roll”. Don’t miss them live – The Superjesus are fantastic!
