MONSTER MAGNET with The Devil Rides Out

For many, Thursday night was a show 10 years in the making. Until last week, Monster Magnet fans had been waiting over a decade for the stoner rock phenomenon to retrace its steps back to Australia. It was a long journey for both band and punter alike, but after lineup changes, drug overdoses, a new album and a hell of a long plane ride, Monster Magnet proved they were worth the wait.

The whole night unequivocally proved the cult of stoner, though no more at its height, has left a mighty legacy in its wake. With fervourish post-Kyuss-on-coke cool, opening act The Devil Rides Out have it all. Sound, style and silhouette blend with bad-ass pomp and balls-out flair to match, now affectionately referred to as ‘boner rock’. It may seem easy to conflate garage genres to mere rock recitals, but when listening closely, more subtle qualities that mix old-school guitar timbre and a Beasts Of Bourbon-esqe blues give more of a definition to the sound.

It was clear the band, playing one of their biggest supports to date, easily attracted audience affection, especially after frontman Joey K’s introduction to The New Idle, making reference to the now disgraced Kyle Sandilands. The crowd thoroughly concurred when Joey K let rip that he hoped ‘we’ve seen and heard the last of that cunt’. By the time The Devil Rides Out reached the powerhouse mid-set track Right Lane Man, there was a swelling group of newly recruited fans forming front of stage. If you get to a Devil gig and grab an EP, don’t be surprised if you are compelled to drive at fast speeds with hot women. It’s just that kinda thing.

In between sets, it was noticeable most punters bracing for the cosmic thrill ride to come were ‘way-back’ fans as everyone’s face was pinned to the stage in anticipation of what they knew to be coming. When the lights dimmed, the back screen slowly grew and the sonic weirdness started, ‘space-lord motherfuckers’ Monster Magnet engorged Metro Freo. Even though the venue was far from packed it ceased to matter when the group exploded like a jack-in-a-box with old-school opener, Dopes To Infinity.

Immediately appeasing the crowd with some infamous fodder to start, Monster Magnet continued to shy away from the wares of the most recent album Four-Way Diablo. Yet what the current album may lack in once-upon-a-time, cosmic-themed intensity, the live show makes up for in sheer drive and pace, proving Monster Magnet haven’t lost any stage lust through the past 20 years of touring. In fact, even though a little older now than their current industry contemporaries, the whole band put in a forceful and physical effort, not forgetting bassist Jim Baglino’s axe wielding move; simultaneously playing and faux bayonetting the audience.

Perhaps for most fans who waited for so long to see the act in the flesh again, or for the first time, the set seemed to be over all too soon, but luckily Monster Magnet are well-known for their endurance encores and didn’t disappoint when they finally ripped out a monumental live version of Spine Of God. The New Jersey boys set back out onstage for nearly another half an hour and gained momentum until the final note. For a short while they took the room on a wild trip. If they ever come back, its worth a watch; or in words perhaps more befitting where they’ve been, ‘buy the ticket, take the ride’.

_LAURA GLITSOS

Saturday October 3rd – Amplifier Bar, Perth
with special guests Genghis BUY TICKETS NOW!

THE DEVIL RIDES OUT
“Perth’s premier exponents of balls’n’all rock’n’roll grit’n’grime” – Drum Media

“Very much like a cross between Queens Of The Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal… they generate heavy stoner rock with liberal lashings of garage blues, delivered with a ferocious grit.” – Inpress

THE BLACKWATER FEVER
“Their raw sound exemplifies the essence of blues-rock” – Time Off

“A dynamic duo of powerhouse blues” – Fasterlouder

“Some of the dirtiest blues in the business” – Rave Mag

BLACK MUSTANG
“One of Brisbane’s finest rock acts and one that should never be missed” – The Dwarf
“These guys rock, seriously. If you boiled down the essence of Aussie greats AC/DC, Radio Birdman and Rose Tattoo, then you’d get something akin to the vigorous ‘there’s no going back now’ breed of rock that these gents purvey” – Fasterlouder

Sunday June 21st at ECU Joondalup - The BreakOUT! Community Concert from 1pm-7pm. We're headlining the event between 6pm and 7pm but come down earlier for lots of other great local bands - full details here: http://breakoutconcert.wordpress.com