By: Lana Harris
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The hazy, swampy chamber that is The Zoo in summer is a perfect match for the mettle of the bands tonight – a mash of blues, rock, and country fermented in the practice rooms of Brisbane and Fremantle. It’s a largely desolate frontier that welcomes The Blackwater Fever to The Zoo tonight. The Brisbane duo move slowly at first, floating pared back and mellow bluesy tunes. The third track brings some rock to the room, and some bodies are now bravely leaving window seats to move into the space in front of the stage. |
Blackwater Fever slide from sludgy depths to rock and roll heights with a fullness of sound that challenges your eye sight: is it really just the two of them up there, making all that noise? Andrew Walters is a laconic drummer, while vocalist and guitarist Shane Hicks sings, slides and on occasion growls his way across the set. They finish with ’Taking Its Toll’, which it seems like it does, the track finishing the set with slow, deep melodies.
Continue reading Live Review: The Kill Devil Hills, Mexico City and The Blackwater Fever @ The Zoo, Friday 5th February 2010
The afternoon brought with it dark clouds that took away the light but not the heat, and those of us wrapped in black shuffled through the cyclone wire fence that surrounds Riverstage dripping with something a bit more corporeal than anticipation. 
Friday: The weather gods have smiled upon us, after a week of much needed rain the clouds have parted and the sun is beaming down on a collection of camper vans, cars and kombis, most filled with reggae fans eagerly waiting to be loaded on to the Stradbroke Ferry. Island Vibe 09 awaits!
Only having one support act seems a trifle insufficient for a band of Kreator’s standing – insulting even – but that’s what confronts us Thursday night at the Metro Theatre. Still, it looks to be a promising evening. I have never, in fact, seen such a huge line to get into the Metro before, and that’s always a good sign as it suggests that the opening band is worth giving a shit about. That honour goes to Sydney’s Mortal Sin, a band that have been kicking around for nearly as long as Kreator. They do themselves proud. Though, unfortunately, by the time we get past the line and into the venue we’ve missed half their set – and of the half we do see most of it is taken up by that marvel of the rock n’ roll genre, the thrash metal ballad.
