Wednesdays are good night in Bondi, the main reason for that is the Beach Road's "Filth sideshows" which, most important of all, are free! This past Wednesday, New Zealand's Cut Off Your Hands headlined, who are currently on tour with Midnight Juggernauts, playing their first run of shows in Australia since January/February's Laneway Festival.

Opening on the night were California's Eulogies, who are also on an East Coast tour. They were confronted with a small(ish) and subdued crowd, for what is usually expected of a Wednesday night at the Beach Road. Their sound can be placed in the rock/pop genre with a tinge of a grunge and at times a little surf rock. For a band that had never been to the country before, I must say they did a good job of impressing the crowd. I also can’t continue writing this review without mentioning their love of bass intros and bass fuzz. I found this both slightly amusing and enjoyable, as bass players rarely get the credit they deserve sometimes (n.b. I am not a bass player).

As mentioned before, Cut Off Your Hands had not been back on Australian shores since February this year. In that space of time, they have had a few members leave and new members fill these spots. Not only did the band bring new members along for this tour, but Bondi also seemed to provide its fair share of arrogant and drunk locals. One was reminiscent of Jesus, who decided to dance on the stage divider, which brought singer Nick to give him a gentle nudge (with his microphone stand) back into the crowd.

The set consisted mainly of songs off their debut album You and I, including: Happy As Can Be, Oh Girl, Still Fond, Turn Cold - as well as a couple of new songs. The variety in the set was a good showcase for the band, especially for the people who had not witnessed them before. With just small pockets towards the front of the stage singing and bopping along to the beat.

Despite it being a free gig, Cut Off Your Hands didn't disappoint; the Kiwis bringing along the energy they are known to perform with, and giving it their all.

Photo by Straton Heron - Taken from their Myspace Page