HALESTORM – Brisbane, Australia 7th December 2019
The bands performing at The Tivoli tonight are proof that good old-fashioned rock & roll can still pull a crowd, the auto-tuned pop associated with our age perhaps not as all-powerful as one might think.
The music fan in 2019 has the potential to fulfill their every need, so you can either whinge about how everything is “computerised” these days or make the smallest bit of effort to discover that the spirit of those big ‘80s and ‘90s uplifting rock anthems is alive and well in new music.
With Halestorm’s original tour mates Black Stone Cherry forced to cancel due to a family emergency, their replacements are the melodic, no-frills Villainy. The Auckland four-piece make a tuneful, radio-friendly brand of big-hearted pop/rock, with choruses and melodies reminiscent of everything from The Cars’ slick power-pop to post-grunge and emo of the late ‘90s and early noughties. Their songs basically take classic FM drive-time rock of the last three decades and hone it into three- and four-minute tunes for modern ears. Guitar rock songs gleam with shiny, major chords and hints of intensity thanks to singer/guitarist Neill Fraser’s gravelly yet soaring voice. For the most part, this is amiable, catchy rock & roll that acts as a more-than-worthy warm up for our charismatic headliners.
Halestorm have a similar love for ‘80s and ‘90s hard rock tropes, but escalate them into a more sneering, leather-clad brand of riffarama. This is enhanced by their extraordinary frontwoman Lzzy Hale, her hair shortened and dyed black, her swagger as captivating and powerful as ever. The guitarist/singer also has bloody F1-11 of a voice, at its heart a gritty, bluesy instrument but able to unleash soprano soars and feral screams with seemingly no effort whatsoever. Her drummer brother Arejay is a virtuosic and hyperactive showman in his own right, showcasing blistering solos (including a fantastic duel with bassist Josh Smith), while lead guitarist Joe Hottinger is a cool, confident presence.
The setlist has a good mixture of old and new tunes, with this reviewer particularly appreciating a soaring rendition of Killing Ourselves To Live from 2018’s Vicious long-player. There’s even a Lzzy-and-piano medley culminating in two verses and two choruses from the Dolly/Whitney standard I Will Always Love You, Hale’s gravelly tone providing a different, more bluesy style of tenderness to the tune.
But, of course, it’s the Baby Animals-meets-Motley Crue rock & roll attitude and air-punching choruses that really makes the show entertaining, with Hale not content to stick to strictly rhythm guitar, trading solos with Hottinger on several occasions. The band don’t put a note wrong all night, Lzzy’s larger-than-life voice and persona at centre-stage where it belongs. Not only have the “computers” not taken over, there’s a hard rock band led by a Suze de Marchi-meets-Joan Jett powerhouse, playing to packed houses all over the world. Rock & roll ain’t dead yet.
Reviewer: Matt Thrower
Photographer: Davey Rintala @fastlanephoto
