If there’s one thing that Aussies love, it’s good old fashioned rock and the sellout crowd that packed The Gov on Saturday night certainly had their lion’s share of it. For a band that only 2 years earlier were supports for Grinspoon in the same venue, Kingswood have driven their own success to stellar heights as the new big thing in rock. First catching the eye of this music fan at the 2014 Big Day Out in Adelaide, it isn’t hard to see why these guys are killing it. They had me at their mixture of solid rock riffs and brilliant songwriting!
They were supported by two bands, the first being Brisbane outfit The Belligerents who were musically great but a little thin vocally and were reminiscent of the late 80’s/early 90’s psychedelic alternative bands like The Scientists and The Stems. Lurch and Chief were the second support who were vocally solid and had a good sound, but not what I’d call heavy rock. Nonetheless, it’s always a good thing to see upcoming bands getting experience on the live circuit, it’s a steep learning curve that they’ll undoubtedly grow from.
But the crowd had come to see Kingswood, and the sea of black clad punters made them feel exceptionally welcome. Playing songs from their recent album Microscopic Wars and a few known covers such as QOTSA’s Feelgood Hit Of The Summer, they were in great form and the chatter amongst the crowd was evident of their status as the new Kings of Australian rock.
It’s difficult to explain what it is about them that sticks out as brilliant, but they have a presence and a sound that you can’t turn away from. Fergus Linacre’s vocals move from rock in songs like Sucker Punch & She’s My Baby, and then to soul in I Can Feel That You Don’t Love Me. The band are tight, slick, and true to the Indie-Rock genre, and will no doubt move from strength to strength as they continue doing their thing. It’s good to know that bands like Kingswood are around to keep the Aussie rock flag flying, expect to see a lot more of them in future! In the meantime, grab yourself a copy of Microscopic Wars and be prepared to be blown away by these guys- they rock!
By Darren Hassan
Twitter: @DazzHassan
https://itunes.apple.com/au/artist/kingswood/id345269959
https://twitter.com/kingswoodband
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