Best Night Ever: The Best Way To Piss Off 2023
Miami Marketta was treated to an absolute slaughter fest of modern Aussie rock, sending off 2023 with muster as quintessential themes of piss-sinking, foot stomping, mate-moshing goodness saturated the Miami Laneway! But there were standouts …
Bronze – WAAX
BNE alumni WAAX annihilated Marketta with a nostalgic set of modern classics, and a brand new and improved lineup!
Early additions Wild & Weak and FU are met with thunderous receptions. Maz & Co. do not waste a single second tearing through the set with maximum energy.
Big Grief single I Am resonates with the increasingly lubricated attendees, as circles form and grooves swing. A fresh take on an important track in the group’s discography proves a crowd favourite!
Closing additions Labrador and Same Same tip the primed crowd to boiling point as choruses belch in symphony, moshes collide like comets, and lagers lift like dumbbell curls. Absolutely full marks ladies and gentleman!
A festival staple for a reason, WAAX are well and truly back … and better than ever!
Silver – Le Shiv
Studio 56 hosted a truly special spectacle as up and coming pop-rock power Le Shiv remind attendees the heroes are in the small writing!
Unreleased Foals-y grooves ring through early-additions as the Le Shiv boys convince the timid crowd! Synth pulses, rhythm section tightness and contortionist antics eliminate the resistance quickly!
Mid-additions Where’s My Money see the side-stage crowd swing to the edgier cut, while latest single Charlie Don’t Go evokes vintage synth tech grooves, encouraging even the clumsiest dancers to at least try.
Late addition I’m Fine I’ve Said Too Much But How Are You? has the boiler room crowd bouncing, shape-cutting and unabashedly singing lyrics they’ve never heard before. The dynamic range of Le Shiv demonstrated in spades with their loud, quiet, loud pop cult hit!
Closing remark No Freak is inarguably a belter! Try not to dance to that chorus and I’ll buy you a can of $15 mid-strength!
Don’t be surprised when you see the name Le Shiv! These boys are gonna be
busy!
Gold – Smith Street Band
While now a staple of festival-big-writing, Wagner & Co’s dedication to story- telling, craft and evolution rings abundantly throughout their flawless co- headline endeavour at Marketta!
Early additions Suffer and I Still Dream About You proves that not only the bands’ live show gets better with age. The group’s most recent efforts More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me and I Still Dream About You are are albums engrained in the psyche of modern Australian story-telling.
Side note: crowd is going absolutely fuckin apeshit!
Birthdays proves a cult classic as Miami’s mosh reaches the festivals’ highest potential! A cultivating tale echoed by 1000+ Wagner disciples.
Mid-additions Ducks Fly Together and Young Drunk sees the Smithies inextricably retain the undivided attention of their devotees. These songs are starting to become classics! And rightfully so!
[Pardon the interruption]
I am fully aware this isn’t about me. However, I’m into my double digits worth of Smithies’ gigs and this is the first time I’ve heard Something I Can Hold In My Hands. My favourite of theirs. Thank you Wil!
Let’s tidy this up; Throw Me In The River, Passiona, Death To The Lads. Fuck me gently, 10/10!
Wrap-Up
The team at EastWest crunched 2023 like an empty tin of GOAT Lager! Catch the local phenomenon next year for the unanimous champion of New Years bashes on the Goldy! AND STILL!
