[Live Review] VIPER CREEK BAND

Gympie Muster
Friday August 23, 2013 :

To be honest it was only hard work from the Viper Creek Band, management and fans that got this local Newcastle act to Gympie in the first place. Without their persistence I would not have witnessed what happened on Friday night.

Hailing from Toronto on Lake Macquarie, this five piece band made a lot of friends at this year’s Tamworth Country Music Festival in January. Managed under the watchful eye of Mike Vee, the band has been growing in popularity ever since. Holding centre stage at the famous Crowbar within the muster site, the band hit the stage at 11.30 pm when the temperature outside was -2 and falling. Inside though, you got the feeling things were about to heat up.

Lead by charismatic front man Damien Baguley the band played a 90 minute set of originals with a couple of popular covers thrown in. Drawing material from there two released EP’s, Crazy Tonight and Dance Like No One’s Watching, the material was well received with the packed house singing along, proving they are very familiar with the band’s work. Highlights for me included ‘Long Way Down Looking Up From The Bottom’ and ‘Get Outta Here’, co-written with fellow Novocastrian, Troy Kemp. The crowd favorite perhaps was ‘Tonight You Are Mine’, but to be honest there were many to choose from. The packed house left for cold camping beds satisfied at 1 am.

Having seen this band grow over the past eight months, you get the feeling they are on the verge of something great. Newcastle has a proud tradition of producing quality live music and these guys deserve a mention when it comes to that. Something that is even more impressive is that their first EP debuted at Number 1 on the iTunes country albums chart knocking Lady Antebellum from the top spot. Their second battled with Taylor Swift for similar glory. Fans are now calling for an album which should be ready by next year.

2014 is shaping up as a massive year for the band. First announcement of Country Rocks The Hunter 2014 has them on the bill. Hopefully promoters will take a risk and put them straight on the main stage. If this does not happen next year, I have no doubt in the future it will. Perhaps in hindsight, promoters for the Gympie Muster could have spared the audience an hour and a half screaming from an aging rock star, and put these guys centre stage where inevitably they will belong, but then I would not have witnessed the Crowbar and you can’t have everything. Well done guys.

Photographer and Reviewer: David Jackson

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