Children Collide are one of my favourite bands, and to see them again felt like visiting old friends; old, brash, abrasive friends that leave you with a good, ol’ case of tinnitus. 

Though opening my night was another favourite, Sydney’s Cabins who, with a recent signing to Ivy League and their VERY freshly released mini album Bright Victory, are one of the most exciting new bands around at the moment. There was something about the HiFi bar stage that just made their set truly shine, it was loud and attention grabbing, as they opened with their own take on Bob Dylan’s ‘In My Time of Dying’. Picking up an acoustic guitar, their captivating frontman Leroy drawled out the husky tale of ‘Oceanic Blues’ followed by the brisk drums and winding guitar of ‘Hounds’, as well as my personal favourite ‘Foes and Thieves’, a strong distorted tune with a pop sensibility to keep you hooked, though it’s the deep thunderous rolling in of ‘Catcher in the Rye’ that always manages to captivate me over and over again. The boys finished their set with ‘The Moon’, its undulating guitar line sliding around like a black cat in the middle of the night.

First to power-walk their way on stage was Heath, followed by Ryan and his manly swagger, and of course Johnny,  picking up his Fender Jaguar the electrifying trio opened with ‘Look Good on Paper’ (or ‘We Live In Fear’ depending on your generation), followed by ‘Across the Earth’ taking on a giant uncompromising form. Peppering the set of the tunes from their debut The Long Now were some new and nameless number from an impending sophomore effort, to be titled Theory of Everything, including their new single ‘Jellylegs’ and ‘My Eagle’, a fast and furious number that felt at home amongst the older tracks. 

The threesome are a charismatic band to witness; Heath goes from walking around in a constant circle to rocking back and forth, his mop of curly hair drenched in sweat, while Ryan on the drums plays with a dark and haunting charm, leaving Johnny Mackay playing the part of a hyperactive child moving around the stage as fast as he can, laughing along with their very adoring crowd. It was great to hear the older ‘Ecomony’ and it’s jerky aggression as Mackay spat out lyrics, as well as everyone’s favourite ‘We Are Amphibious’ from their Glass Mountain Liar days, and of course 'Farewell Rocketship' allowing Mackay to revel in crowds singing-a-long. The only fault to their dirty set of punk songs was the omission of ‘Cannibal’, and rather than finishing their set with my personal favourite ‘Fire Engine’, like they have for the last two or so years, it was ‘Chosen Armies’ that closed the night. It was a night to hail in the new, the future of Children Collide, a taste of what is to come.

Children Collide Setlist
Look Good on Paper (We Live in Fear)
Across the Earth
Skeleton Dance
(New)
Brave Robot
(New)
Farewell Rocketship
Economy
We Are Amphibious
(New)
Jellylegs (New)
My Eagle (New)
Social Currency
Chosen Armies

Cabins Setlist
In My Time of Dyin'
Mary
Calling Home
Oceanic Blues
Hounds
Foes and Thieves
Catcher in the Rye
The Moon