Eagles of Death Metal have been hitting the scene for over ten years now, and have consistently shown a great deal of showmanship as well as rock star antics that the one and only Jesse Hughes can get away with. Their first album recorded in 2004 gave way to a whole new style of music that reminded the world that true rock’n’roll still exists, with flare and charisma.

With a cheeky tongue, and impressive moustache, and the lifestyle of a rockstar that many people would envy, the band hit Australian shores on Friday to deliver a mind blowing set of truly epic proportions. The band travelled to Australia in order to support their album Heart On, which was released late last year.

On Friday night, playing at the Tivoli, the band reminded its devoted fans that rock’n’roll still exists, and that the rumours definitely do not exceed anything but the truth.

The opening band, The Butcher Birds, gave a great example of how women don’t deserve any less credit than the men do when it comes to putting on a show. The three girls and their male drummer put on a show with a sound terribly reminiscent of Veruca Salt and Hole. A stoner-garage vibe filled Brisbane’s Tivoli executed with great style and an interesting mesh of sounds. While without much knowledge of the band previous to Friday night’s performance, their sounds hit the crowd and left many people intrigued. A combination of soulful singing, with impressive guitar techniques and a deep throaty scream from their drummer who combined his talents, the support band proved they’re worth checking out in the near future. If only for a look back at the great female infused sounds out there.

The Protectors were the second support band. I rarely venerate bands, but I have to admit that this band clearly had no clue how to achieve a good sound, with a genuine live performance.

The lead singer looked as if he had spent his lifetime copying the antics (and style) of rock God, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. Tight jeans, lose shirt, one earring with a haircut which flowed as nicely as the aforementioned God, it was obvious who his idol was.

The sound was lacklustre and not consistent enough to give the show an interesting flow which captured interest. While a few men in the moshpit did indeed enjoy the sound, the on stage antics seemed forced and too-well practiced; the same of which cannot be said for their music.

Jumping off the drum kits, wild moves during guitar licks and even spitting up into the air has been done so many times before, it felt fake and oh-so-tacky

This band has a long way to go, and many more gigs to play before their sound and performance becomes a genuine and interesting piece.

After a brief setup with a small road crew, Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out of My Head thumped through the auditorium as the lights dimmed, with the enigmatic and amazingly likeable Jesse Hughes jumping out on stage, to a round of applause and loud screams from the ladies.

Joey Castillo on drums, Dave Catching on guitar, and Brian O’Connor on bass, the touring members of the group showed they can live well up to the hype that surrounds the band.

Josh Homme, the other founding member of the band was nowhere to be seen, possibly due to his current recording of Desert Sessions.

The band started with the first track off their debut album I Only Want You, stirring up the crowd into a frenzy as the punters moved in unison to the catchy and well executed song. Singing in falsetto to the chorus, the fans were instantly already impressed and definitely mesmerised with the sex appeal and charisma of Jesse Hughes.

Jesse Hughes is a friendly guy. He smiles and winks at the crowds, checks on the ladies in the show (possibly due to his rampant womanising which has simply become a personality trait) as well as chatting with the audience as if we were all his best mate. His cheeky smile and attitude made the show seem intimate, while his personality showed a genuine interest in not only playing a show and giving a magnificent performance, but being in Australia in general.

he band, contrary to their name, do not in fact play death metal. During their hour long set, the band created a great set filled with hits, as well as favourites across their three albums performing with an air of confidence, oozing sex appeal (despite the fact that none of the members are particularly model types) as well as playing with the crowd and working well with their material.

The sound is like an older sounding traditional rock band, with the thumping bass lines, the crazy guitar licks and the over-the-top vocals and antics of Jesse. This traditional sound has a modern sound, with a twist of attitude that is rarely seen in the commercialised churn-out turn around we see in music these days.

Joey Castillo was a sight to see playing drums for Eagles. While he usually sits behind the kit with Queens of the Stone Age, his technique was pulled off perfectly, hitting every beat without failure, and giving off a flare that is definitely needed for such a flamboyant sound that the band produces. His incredible strength paired with his cheeky side gives the band the backbone that they needed to pull off such a show.

Dave Catching ripping it up on guitar was certainly a great feat, as he looked to effortless to this style of high voltage rock, seeming as if he could do it with his eyes closed. Berating Jesse Hughes with his cheeky attitude only made the show even more fun.

Brian O’Connor startled the crowd with his impeccable falsetto considering his deep and stellar voice as heard on Boys Bad News. His energy and style was parallel to that of the rest of the band, perfecting their style and sound. His towering appearance and marvellously large hands gave his personality a spark and made him another member to watch carefully.

The setlist (while not in any order, my memory isn’t that great) consisted of: I Only Want You, Flames go Higher, Bad Dream Mama, Whorehoppin’, Already Died, Got a Feelin’, Chase the Devil, Anythin’ Cept the Truth, Wannabe in L.A, Heart On, Now I’m A Fool and Secret Plans, followed by Cherry Cola, High Voltage Rock’n’Roll (AC/DC cover) Brown Sugar (Rolling Stones cover) Boys Bad News, Speaking in Tongues, and Midnight Creeper

While the show seemed to impress the hundreds of fans that turned up to this packed out gig, I unfortunately wasn’t so lucky. Three songs into the show, against the barrier in front of Jesse Hughes himself, my boyfriend and I were unlucky enough to be vomitted on by a fellow punter. After retreating to the bathroom to clean up as soon as possible, we watched the rest of the show from the back of the venue.

Fortunately for us, we followed the band to Sydney the next day for the second show.

 

Stay tuned for my second review!