Bush, Staind and Cherri Bomb, Enmore Theatre - 27/02/2012

Chasing the dragon that was the high from Soundwave Sydney, I ventured to The Enmore Theatre to catch English lads and alternative rock legends Bush. It’s safe to say I was out of my element for this gig: I clearly had the skinniest jeans and the most facial piercings, but it’s when we leave our comfort zone that our eyes (and in this case ears) are really opened.

Opening the Sidewave was LA’s very own Cherri Bomb. Being hailed as rock’s new generation, this all-girl quartet has plenty of moxie, oh so foxy and can smash out a tune to boot. Such a great site to see, it didn’t matter that they missed a couple of major notes or occasionally messed up their timing because you could tell they were having a great time. For them it was out of this world to be playing in Sydney, Australia and that showed in their performance. Despite the poor crowd participation, it was a kick-ass set, and I couldn’t help but think the drummer was a sexier version of the Muppets’ drummer…what do you think?

Continuing with the hard out rock vibe of the night, Staind were aptly placed as main support. A roaring success, the crowd couldn’t hold back their excitement. Coming out with no bullshit, just straight rock, Spleen was their opening track and the set that followed twisted and turned throughout their whole catalogue. It’s Been A While was a massive hit, both in the day and still tonight. Hell, I’m not ashamed to admit I screamed the words along with everyone else in the packed venue! Something To Remind You mellowed out the atmosphere towards the end of their set, which was capped off very stylish and meaningful in true Staind style.

Bush made mincemeat of this set, reeling the crowd in and keeping us captivated with a simple, yet well-executed live show. It’s obvious how tight the band is and how in tune they are with one another, they’ve been doing this for years now and still totally lucid. Machine Head was first of a setlist that seemed to consist only of crowd favourites. It was a high-energy show, surprising for the 90’s rockers, which only rarely skewed towards the softer side with tracks like Adrenaline ever so often. Frontman Gavin Rossdale saw The Afterlife as an opportunity to ditch his rhythm guitar duties and sprint, literally from the stage, to the back of the standing section to all around the upstairs seating area, taking the time to hug fans, sing to them and pose for the odd photo without missing a single word. Punters were eating it up and it was a clear demonstration of just how to be a rock star and how to treat fans who have stayed loyal since 1992. They returned for a brief encore with Glycerine and Come Down. These guys are true rock stars and knew just how to blow us all away.

A night of simple, awesome Rock N Roll. No scary masks, no synths and no over the top antics. Everything that needed to be done was done through the music.