Live Review: Tired Lion w/ Walken & The Hard Aches @ The Brightside

In the second performance of their national tour, Perth’s Tired Lion did not disappoint their fans at The Brightside. As their last hurrah before jetting off for a string of performances in Europe, Tired Lion have returned to the rock roots from which they grew. The atmosphere at The Brightside was one of intense excitement before anybody set a foot onstage.

The night began with a fun and speedy set from Brisbane’s own Walken. Although The Brightside had barely begun to fill, they secured a small, yet captivated audience. The set held a sense of intimacy while maintaining explosive energy, and their presence on stage commanded attention. The performance of their latest single Eagle Eye was incredibly compelling and a real highlight of the night, holding the angst and emotion of every pop-punk song we loved as a teenager.

The Hard Aches were up next, and a casual observer could be forgiven for thinking they were headlining the night. A loyal mosh pit at the front of the stage was enthusiastically singing along to every song, and just the opening strums of their new single Glad That You’re Gone was enough to send the crowd wild. Despite there being just two members in the band, their stage presence meant that the space never felt empty, and we were not left wanting.

Finally, and without much preamble, Tired Lion took the stage and ploughed into their set. Immediately commanding the room’s attention, they had half the room dancing before they’d even finished their drinks. However, their set didn’t truly come alive until the fiery opening chords of Suck sent the room into a frenzy. Sophie Hope’s high vocals against heavy guitar lines appear sweet and almost childlike, before suddenly exploding into a deeper, harder voice. It’s difficult to believe that both sounds can come out of the same person!

Going back to their roots, they jumped into the grungy strains of Are You Listening…Listener? from their debut EP ‘All We Didn’t Know’. The air felt emotionally charged as the soulful vocals hovered over the repetitive guitar line, pulling the audience into the pressure of the song. The head-banging chorus interspersed the edgy verses, alleviating the tension as it was created.

The climax of Tired Lion’s set was the performance of their latest single Not My Friends. The droning verses held the crowd in thrall, waiting for the time they could burst into song with every word of the chorus. The raw energy of the song and the powerful, furious delivery by Sophie Hope resonated with the crowd and had the whole room banging their heads.

The set was carefully thought out, sometimes with one song transitioning seamlessly into another with no interruption. The little banter that we did receive between songs was awkward but charmingly so, like talking to a friend. There was a sense of communion between musician and audience, with little differentiation. Tired Lion make you feel like one of the guys, and the people loved it. Who says they’re Not My Friends?

Check out our interview with Tired Lion’s Ethan Darnell HERE and our Photo Gallery from Tired Lion’s Brisbane show HERE