Ball Park Music with RAT!Hammock, Teenage Joans & King Stingray at Hordern Pavilion Sydney 17th June 2022
Photos & Review by Emerald Violet
Last night saw the big and wonderful Hordern Pavillion host the equally as wonderful and incredible band Ball Park Music as they play their 500th show in Sydney, NSW. Embarking on their Weirder & Weirder tour and also their first tour in four years - how crazy is that!! Doors opened early at 6:30 as fans started to pile through the doors and get to the front for the incredible opening bands which included Rat!Hammock, Teenage Joans, and King Stingray; so if you ask me, it’s a true dream lineup with all of these bands. Everyone was ready for an unforgettable night of great live music and fantastic atmosphere on this friday night. The floor of the venue that was once bare and empty now held hundreds of eager and excited fans waiting for the show to kick off.
A perfect blend of indie and a little bit of punchy rock - that was RAT!Hammock - and that sound echoed out into the ever growing crowd and had everyone in the venue under their spell with their sweet riffs and loud vocals that created phenomenal vibes and a great atmosphere to start the night off. The five piece played through their 30 minute set with their hearts and souls as smiles were exchanged between members and also with the audience - it was very sweet to see. The crowd cheered loud after every song finished as more and more people filled up the room after grabbing a drink from the bar. RAT!Hammock's music was full of life as the three guitars being played at the same time filled the venue with lots of rhythm that had a little punch to it and featured an undertone of really sweet riffs. The band themselves have such good chemistry as the interactions between members was sweet and great to see. All the early crowd looked like they really enjoyed themselves and warmed up pretty quickly.
Teenage Joans are an absolute powerhouse and a true delight. The duo walk onto the stage and play their songs with so much power and they both always look like they are having an absolute blast on stage. With lots of Katy Perry banter in between songs, they played through a total kick ass set and have easily become my all time favourite band. Vocalist and guitarist Cahli has the best stage presence as she jumped around on stage and thrashed her guitar around to the pop punkish anthems on their setlist. Both members take turns with the vocals through the set and you can see all their individual talent and energy come together and create a crazy good performance. The crowd sang the songs loud and high with pure happiness in their voices which filled the room with the most wholesome vibes as they danced around listening to the punchy sounds of Teenage Joans.
King Stingray have some beautiful energy and catchy tracks that are completed with a solid rhythm and little banging guitar riffs. They played their music flawlessly as the whole room began to fill up again and echo out towards the back of the venue.
Everyone cheering, dancing, singing back to the band with excitement - it was a beautiful set. Thirty minutes certainly wasn’t enough for these guys because they had great energy and could keep the crowd entertained for hours on end if they got the chance because they know how to put on a really great performance. All of the vocals complimented each other really well and sounded unreal, the instruments were solid and we even got to hear the beautiful sounds of the didgeridoo. It was amazing to finally get to see King Stingray perform and they definitely got everyone warmed up on this cold night.
A sheet hanging from the ceiling and totally covering the stage while the front light dimmed down and the backlight stayed lit up,smoke started to fill the front as the band stepped out, all you could see were their silhouettes until suddenly the sheet dropped, the lights shone bright and the band packed a punch and kicked off their set with the first song. The crowd went absolutely mental, screaming at the top of their lungs in excitement.The room was filled with people dancing around, screaming and singing along, they knew every single word of every song and shouted it straight back to the band. It has been a long time coming for fans to see Ball Park Music and they definitely showed so much love to the band and were having the time of their lives. You couldn’t match the atmosphere in the venue, it was absolutely incredible as I could see people singing loud, grabbing their friends, and singing the lyrics to each other - it was pure happiness in those moments and that’s what you love to see. Ball Park Music put on such a spectacular performance if i had to sum it up. The songs are so catchy and you just can’t help but dance around and feel great with those vibes. It definitely was a night you can’t forget. Being able to see 4 very talented bands in one night at a terrific venue, it can’t be beaten.