Reviewed onThursday April 14 (photo by Ashley Mar)
It’s relatively mind-boggling to see a local band go from playing tight shows at the Annandale to selling out the Enmore Theatre five times over. No doubt even more so for the band members themselves, as Sticky Fingers bassist Paddy Cornwall told the crowd that he attended his first gig at the Enmore – Linkin Park – when he “was like, 12”. Sticky Fingers’ career trajectory hasn’t been smooth or without substantial effort, meaning such achievements ahead of the third LP from one of the Inner West’s most successful acts should certainly not go unrecognised.
Marking a year since Sticky Fingers sold out the Enmore without even officially announcing the gig, the first show of this three-night engagement kicked off with local and international flavour. Sydney ladies Rackett kicked off to an excited and obedient crowd with their bad-ass rock, more of which will hopefully be released soon. Fresh off the plane, Brit boys Will and The People delivered fun pop-rock before a DJ set from Amastro took over and amped the room up even more during a tedious tuning period.
Gracing the stage dressed a little sharper (bar keyboardist Freddy Crabs in his footy shorts and shirtless glory) and more sober than tours past, Sticky Fingers launched into set opener ‘Land Of Pleasure’, with the all-ages room going ballistic. As they paced themselves through a mix of well-known tunes, StiFi’s lack of usual antics was made up for by blinding flashes of light and top guitar solos courtesy of Seamus Coyle.
The set finally started to pick up halfway through thanks to a taste of new material showcasing Dylan Frost’s heartbreaking vocals and Crabs’ often overshadowed keys. Bootleg Rascal’s Jimmy Young joined the band, Frost surrendered guitar duties and it was time to turn the crowd’s respectful behaviour raucous. ‘Gold Snafu’, ‘Just For You’, a gritty, guitar-laden newbie and ‘Dreamland’ led the charge with flair, right through until the moment Cornwall screamed into the mic, “Here’s some new shit!” and ‘Outcast At Last’ was smashed out.
Lapping up the cheers for an encore, Freddy Crabs returned solo to the stage before kicking into the synths on his namesake tune. Then, as Frost sung out the appropriate lyric on ‘Lazerhead’ – “Until tomorrow” – the night came to a close. Sticky Fingers may not have played their most memorable or passionate gig, but sharp it was, and there’s ample chance their next performances will multiply in showmanship.
