Machine Head – The Studio (Concert Review)

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The Machine Head tour has been hugely anticipated, selling out across Australia, and last night was no exception. Machine Head were said to be playing the full two and a half hours with no support, an odd choice; but a great one in the eyes of the legions of fans lining up around the block apparently! It was the classic Studio ‘we have a 1200 capacity so pack em in’; luckily the balcony was open for once.

Usually I’ll stay with the crowd at Studio Gigs, so I can see what they see…but I’ll be honest, I was hungover and just couldn’t be fucked this time, and went through the bar into the photographer pit. It’s a fucking good thing I did, because otherwise this would be a short review; ‘Couldn’t see, Couldn’t hear, Way too packed and dangerous to stick around, I’m out’. And that would be a massive shame, because this was a brilliant fucking gig that I’m glad I got to see, hangover and all.

About fifteen minutes before the heroes were due to hit the stage the dry ice began filling the room and the chants of Machine Fucking Head began (although not sustained for any length) and the room was packed to the rafters (breaking all kinds of fire codes I’m sure); about ten minutes before kick off a glimpse of a tech on stage sends the anticipation even higher and another attempt at the Machine Fucking Head chants begins, quickly dropped in lieu of a crowd sing-along, like the hymn before church. It feels…evangelical? Strange as that sounds, it’s a feeling that stays with me most of the night, and it’s disconcerting (It’s not helped by the band members praying and pointing to heaven throughout the night).

At nine thirty on the fucking DOT the lights go down, brilliantly timed of course, the music is building, as is the anticipation and screams of the fans. There’s blue lights, there chants of Machine Fucking Head, there’s holy-fucking-strobe-lights (although the timing of them, to the back beat of the drums, is undeniably brilliant), and again I feel I’m missing something important, like a sinner in church. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a crowd so amped, and if the band and crowd can maintain this for two and a half hours I’ll be fucking impressed.

This is a band that plays for the fans, and involves the fans, even to the extent of leaning over the press pit to do so, and from my privileged position it sounds and looks fucking amazing. Sadly, the one time I tried to do the punter thing it was the studio classic; from the back it was weak, tinny and ecchoy, and I didn’t have a hope in hell of getting anywhere near the main room. This is through NO fault of the band, the sound guys; there is no fault but a shoddy building design. And it’s a fucking shame, because Machine Head put on a great show. For fans I suspect it was something close to a religious experience; for the rest of us, Machine Head really pulls out all the stops to drag new fans in. Seriously guys, there’s green smoke, blistering drums, back to back guitar fiddly bits, face to face heavy bits, synchronised hand gestures, classic cheesy fun.

Around ten they had the first of four mini breaks, with some flattery about the best crowd ever and a bit of the old humble brag (there was an acoustic thingie that was perhaps called ‘in ode of Machine Head’, or perhaps it was Darkness Within; not particularly complicated, but a nice change of pace to get everyone’s breath back) and then started the ‘Circle Pit’ fun times. They really like Circle Pits, and repetition seemed to be the theme of the night, they have a few chants; ‘Circle Pit’, ‘Hey hey medley’, ‘I wanna see you head bang head cases’, and some counting. I’ll be honest, as a non fan, I can’t be sure they didn’t just play the same five songs over and over, but I’m sure there are nuances I missed. And they sure kept the crowd fucking amped; things got a little scary towards the end and a massive fucking shout out to security for passing out free waters and making sure no one got killed; broken bones and cuts and bruises are expected at a gig; broken necks and shattered skulls not so much fun. The crowd had an amazing time, and never wanted the set to end; not only did Machine Head keep up the energy they showed at the beginning, they kept amping it up and the crowd kept up with them all night. Seriously fun, and not to serious, it was a gig with a great stage show and super catchy tunes. I’m pleasantly surprised, and the slick performance may have won over a grumpy old bogan. All in all it was a great night, and if you have the chance to head along to any of the upcoming shows, make sure you do!

-Tove m/

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