The Kill Devil Hills @ The Annandale Hotel, Sydney – 20 January 2012 | Live Review

Photos and words by Robert Pugsley
Aussie group The Kill Devil Hills rocked the Annandale Hotel in Sydney, playing to a good sized crowd considering the enormous competition they faced with so many festivals on at the moment!

The Kill Devil Hills are just back from a 40 date European tour, in which lead vocalist Brendon described to Life Music Media as “a fantastic learning experience”, Brendon went on to say how well respected Aussie acts are in Europe, “we have concentrated a lot on Europe in the past 18 months…they know more about Australian music than a lot of Australians…Aussie music is valued, they value the artistry, it is kind of cult music…they really welcomed us with open arms”

The Kill Devil Hills hit the stage following the support acts Dan Brodie & the Grieving Widows, The Floors and Handsome Young Strangers. Yes it was Dan Brodie from the Broken Arrows days; he is back in Australia and is back recording and touring.

Playing from their albums Man, You Should Explode (2009), The Drought (2006) and their debut album Heathen Songs (2004), their set, although plagued with the odd technical glitch, really started to get the crowd rocking from about half way through; not that they started off cold but once they started with “Bends”, then guitarist Steve on “Cool My Desire” and “Did I Damage You?” with Alex on Violin they really were able to display their musical and vocal range, which was somewhat restricted earlier on their set; with their real talents on display they brought the crowd forward and moving.

Then they were rocking – rocking hard! “Gunslinger” got the most rigid soul swinging their arms and hips. I swear I saw a lot people doing the ‘twist’. “Gunslinger” is such a cool and infectious song; it is well worth checking out. Rounding off the set came the uplifting “I Don’t Believe”.

Off for a quick break, their encore started off with the slow folk ballad “Lucy on All Fours” featuring drummer Todd on vocals accompanied only by Brendon on guitar. Then the rest of the band came on stage and exploded with “”When the Wolf Come” a heavy rockin’ blistering way to end their show.

The Kill Devil Hills are taking time off to record their fourth album. If you didn’t catch them this time, make sure you do next time.

Photos and words by Robert Pugsley

* Photos from the night are here!