I’ve never been to Nambucca before and in first sight you could actually walk straight past it without noticing (as we almost did). However the inside was pretty damn cool and was the perfect venue for this gig. Having been warmly greeted by the Dirty Water Records crew we had the amazing opportunity to go and interview The Darts US down in the green room (which is as rock n roll as I expected it to be). Stay tuned for that interview.
DJ Simon Wild was on the decks before, after and inbetween sets spinning his vinyl tunes which everyone couldn’t help but have a dance to. There’d been a last minute change in running order so The Darts were up first. I can’t even begin to express how amazing they are live; what an awesome group of gals. It’s so nice to see an all female band rocking out. Lead singer and organ player Nicole oozes sexiness as she lures you in with her singing while multitasking and playing the organ; in fact several points she stood on the drum kit in her stilettos! Guitarist Michelle took up lead vocals on a couple of the songs as well as rocking out harder than I’ve seen anyone else do, you go girl! Bassist Christina comes across as mysterious and aloof with a touch of the gothic vibe which I loved. Of course Rikki and her vigorous drumming is the backbone of the songs, she also provides vocals as well. I think it’s great that every girl has the chance to show off their vocal ability which isn’t always the case in bands. They performed a 13 song set including songs from their self titled album ‘The Darts,’ ‘Me. Ow.‘ and ‘Subsonic Dream B/W Bullet.’ My personal favourites from the night were: ‘Get Messy,’ Bullet,’ ‘Cats Meow‘ and ‘Batteries.’
All photos belong to Eleonora C Collini at Dirty Water Records
I’ve never listened to or heard of The Cavemen (NZ) prior to the gig so I had no idea what to expect. Upon first glance I noticed that they have played on the trailer park trash stereotype although the singer was in a hospital gown haha. Their set was so energetic and fun with the singer running through the crowd while singing. The crowd loved it and a mosh pit began a third of the way through the set which unfortunately I couldn’t join in with due to not wanting to break my full wine glass. Christina and Michelle climbed on stage to join the boys pouring beer in each others mouths, standard rock n roll gig aha.
All photos belong to Eleonora C Collini at Dirty Water Records
The vibe throughout the gig was amazing and there were so many lovely people there; shout-out to Lincoln and his dad Steve for making our night and shout-out to Dirty Water’s Paul, you were ace. It was lovely to have both bands interacting and dancing with the crowd as well as posing for photos which most artists wouldn’t even bother to do.
I would 100% advice you to catch these bands live at least once in your life as it’s an experience you won’t forget.
By Destiny Crawford-Corri ~ Music Editor
Photography by Eleonora C Collini