“If you told us three months ago we’d be headlining the fuckin’ Metro, we’da told ya to get fucked mate, this is fuckin’ stupid.”
The eloquent words of Luca Brasi bassist and frontman Tyler Richardson, on the closing night of their momentous headlining tour. Who could blame him for still feeling shocked? After their Hottest 100 success, it’s a well-earned step forward for the band, and testament to how beloved they have become.
Before they took to the stage, their Tassie mates in Speech Patterns held the floor with short, sharp missives of high energy punk. They struggled through some sound issues, sure, but their drummer was a stand out of the night, and the community backing them may soon see them follow Luca Brasi’s trajectory.
After she’d already fronted for Kingswood, Tash Sultana and Polish Club, it was no surprise to see youngster Maddy Jane rippin’ it up here. Jane’s pipes are a knockout – from a rocked-up cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’ to her own punchy tracks, she oozed charisma. The only shame is that she was the only woman on stage tonight.
If you told us three months ago we’d be headlining the fuckin’ Metro, we’da told ya to get fucked mate, this is fuckin’ stupid.
Expectations were high for the imported Pianos Become The Teeth, and the post-hardcore quintet didn’t disappoint. Like a mirror to the darker energy of this band, the crowd shifted into seriousness, in thrall to the emotional pull of vocalist Kyle Durfey. His screaming days are behind him, but he still has that same intensity in every fibre of his being, and the otherwise rowdy crowd lapped it up.
To their enormous credit, part of Luca Brasi’s appeal is their wholehearted connection to their community. When the lads walked out adorned in their support acts’ merch, you couldn’t help but love them. That gesture alone was enough to sell the band on their merits as people.
When the lads walked out adorned in their support acts’ merch, you couldn’t help but love them.
Maybe they couldn’t believe where they were standing, but they sure as hell meant business when they played. Should Richardson have faltered for a second, the crowd would have carried him anyway as they leapt about the building. In the absence of Georgia Maq, Maddy Jane filled in guest vox on ‘Count Me Out’, a highlight of the set.
The exact energy defies belief – they’re the blokiest blokes that ever bloked, but inclusive and kind at the same time. It’s little wonder their fans (or The Smith Street Band, for that matter) are so attached to them, and to see them headline the Metro isn’t surprising, it’s heartening.
Death to the lads? Nah, these lads go alright, ay.
Luca Brasi were reviewed at the Metro Theatre on Saturday July 1.
