Words by Alexandra Jade 

Sounds Like: An eclectic range of artists spanning several genres, including Green Day’s rock, a dash of The Sex Pistols and a hint of the folk of Jonathan Coultan.

Seeing The Smith Street Band at their 1pm all-ages show before their sold-out 7pm gig was an experience. The brightness of the outside world compared to the dark crowded space of the Metro’s lair confused this reviewer’s internal sense of time. Once inside though, the atmosphere of the venue and excited buzz of the crowd was all anyone could focus on.

The support acts – Grim Fandango from Perth, and The Menzingers out of Pennsylvania – were likable, both with a 90s garage band feel. The Menzingers developed a friendly rapport with the crowd, who by this stage were head banging and moshing to the music. Despite the sound checks in between acts, technical difficulties notably stood out, but this appeared to be the venue’s issue and not the fault of the bands.

When The Smith Street Band made their entrance on to the stage, the crowd responded passionately and warmly to the four men, cheering and screaming like you would to a mate from a passing car. The lead singer Wil Wagner had a warm, charismatic presence appealing to audience members of all ages.

The band exuded a vibe of scallywag-recklessness while also seeming to advocate respect and kindness. This was demonstrated when Wagner had a youth removed from the venue after having once already asked him to stop being aggressive, telling the teen “don’t be a dick”, before the crowd cheered as the teen was removed, and cheered louder as the band resumed played on. ‘Sunshine & Technology’, is the name of their new album and one of their best new songs. Check them out!

3.5 / 5