Crowbar, Sydney
Wednesday 12 February 2020 :
Reviewer : Roger Killjoy
Take a food tip from a fat guy, add the Katsu Chicken Sando to your itinerary for your next trip to the Crowbar. Much like their Cheeseburger from my recent trip there to see John Garcia, it’s highly recommended and pairs beautifully with the enoki fries, heavily salted enough to make an accompanying pint of their house brew a must. Filled to capacity with chicken and mushrooms we head into the band room, getting a surprise welcome at the merch desk from members of Corrosion of Conformity shooting the shit with punters pre-gig.
Due to the exploratory jam nature of their material, Comacozer blast only three songs in their half hour opening slot. Meandering cosmic dirges, sun speckled crescendos and spiraling hypnotic riffs unfurl with a liquid muscularity. It feels like three days should have passed while simultaneously feeling like it’s been barely five minutes since the tune started, it’s trippy as all get out, and a great time to be sure.
Arrowhead were also in attendance for the aforementioned John Garcia gig, though they are down a guitarist with Raff Lacurto having left the lineup in the intervening time. The vocals are way too heavy in the mix, the songs beg for the missing guitarist, and outside of moments of inspired groove there’s less magic than the last time I saw them.
By the time Corrosion of Conformity take stage, the Crowbar’s band room is packed to sweaty capacity. It’s been 6 years since the band were in country, and 19 since they were here with singer/guitarist Pepper Keenan fronting the band. Needless to say, anticipation is high. The instrumental piece ‘Mano De Mono’ plays the band on, and they kick into a hefty ‘Seven Days’ from the centerpiece of their discography, Deliverance. The guitar sound is thick and meaty, and the drums kick like nobody’s business. Bassist Mike Dean’s fingers are in a constant state of movement, throwing out a churning and driving bottom end. The set leans heavily on Deliverance, including a sparkling rendition of ‘Heaven’s Not Overflowing’, ‘Albatross’ and deep cut ‘Shake Like You’ getting a rare airing.
All albums featuring Keenan are represented tonight, ’13 Angels’ is played in tribute to longtime COC drummer Reed Mullin who died at the end of January. Guitarist Woody Weatherman, otherwise an animated and joyful figure plying his trade, looked particularly reverent playing for his departed friend and drummer, having been founding members of the band together way back in 1982. ‘Vote With A Bullet’, still as potent a statement of intent as it was back in 1991, is bruising though maybe half a step slower than on record.
A lone stage dive attempt by a punter goes astray during ‘My Grain’ with the diver meeting the concrete floor head-first and being dragged out unconscious, but he’d surely be the only one with disappointing memories of tonight’s show. The obligatory ‘Clean My Wounds’ brings proceedings to an end, and we all spill out into a rainy Sydney night invigorated and satiated. Here’s hoping it’s not another 19 years before the Pepper and COC are back in town.