The Age of Menace Begins

If theres one thing I dont do enough these days, its get to local gigs. Sure I've got an absolute plethora of gigs coming up - as you'll find out when you read my reviews and watch my dodgy videos - but there truly is something different about ditching ACER or the Enmore and heading down to a pub like the Excelsior in Surry Hills. Perhaps its also compounded by the fact that working in hospitality means NO Fridays nights off. So it was a rarity as I went to watch Age of Menace assault the senses of everyone attending their debut gig.

First up, whilst plying myself with the fantastic Bavarian beer on tap, came the lads from Pecking Order and Thin Air. While I wasn't there to see either act in their entirety, I caught about 2 or 3 songs from each (in between drinking, smoking, eating and more). What can I say about them? Worthy supports with a sufficient if not very attacking sound, to be honest (and I'm not blaming the beer) when I walked in, evidently between the change of bands, I thought it was still the same band playing. It was not. Thats not an insult, I was just drunk.
Selling out a venue is a great achievement. Selling out a prominent Sydney pub for your first live show is definitely a commendable feat - but when you do that, whether you like it or not, you've put yourself under pressure. A good band will embrace this pressure, utilise it and work with it to justify the position they're in. A not-so-good band will choke, stagnate on stage and make you wonder why you didn't just go to work. Thankfully for all involved Age of Menace play with a confidence and professionalism that comes from years of individual experience and months of working together intensely. Many bands you see playing their first show on stage will be, more often than not, sloppy, a little bit intimidated and generally not worth the money you've paid. Considering the relatively short lifespan of these guys so far they really shouldn't be so tight. The Drums of Breakspear locked in with the solid bass lines drive the sound like a bullet train as frontman Rob Smith prowls the stage, daring you to look away and engaging the audience with refreshing conviction, authority and gratitude. Playing for an hour took the audience through a diverse range of unfamiliar material, as well as the two songs contained on the CD (which was free with a presale purchase)


So what did I think? Fantastic. If you'd walked into the venue not knowing it was their first show you would never have believed it. Brutal, punchy and wholly entertaining, polished, refined and aggressive, I found it hard to remember anything about the other two bands after being blown away by the Age of Menace. While this year may be nearly out, 2011 looks ripe for these guys to grab it by the testicles - so prepare yourself, catch them live, and watch the AOM climb the ladder towards becoming a staple of the music scene. If these guys are capable of a night like that on debut, things are only going to get better. Whether you find them menacing or not, its hard to see the age ending anytime soon.

Embrace the Age or it'll eat you alive.

Age of Menace - Official
Age of Menace - Facebook