PHOTOS & WORDS BY: MONIKA SMITH

Local Sydney band Potion took to the stage to do some final soundchecks, and while this was going on drummer Chris Downey playfully performed a few seductive model poses with his kit for one of the photographers in the pit. The band started their set of doom laced psychedelic tones that instantly made the air in the room thicken.

Under a smoky haze and a pile of hair on his face, singer Lee Jowono’s voice and guitar tore shreds into the murky air in absolute precision to have the crowd completely engaged and their eyes glued to the stage; whilst Stella Leung’s heady bass playing and outward glare into the crowd could have obliterated anything in her path.

Black Rheno, a band who I have seen quite a few times now. There is always someone in the crowd that is yelling at them telling them they suck; which I will forever find entertaining and hilarious. I don’t know if they ever hear these slurs but it never phases them nor does it slow their pace. To those that want to know a little bit more about this band; who are curious as to know what they are like live. I have summed it up thusly:
Black Rheno are like a wayward Bull who has taken too many drugs, in a Fine Bone China shop, that is inside a washing machine on its final spin cycle.

Milla always manages to find himself in the crowd, tossing people around like they’re made of nothing, creating his own circle pit and generally embracing the rambunctious lifestyle of an unhinged punk; forever entertaining. Whilst Nano holds his guitar in an almost vertical position and thrashes around the stage like he is possessed by a demon.

Things were going to plan until drummer Doug’s fast feet were too much for the poor Crowbar Sydney’s bass drum skin and he punched a hole through it. Rendering it useless, and even with the deft hands of Ean from Soundworks Touring their set was cut short as the bass drum could not be repaired.

EYEHATEGOD have not graced the shore of Australia for a while and the packed room were eager to hear the lords of sludge smother their ears, eyes and lungs to point of ecstasy.

As the band clambered on stage to the delight of the punters Mike IX Williams paced back and forth before grabbing the mic stand, flipping it upside down and licking it as if it were a tasty ice-cream. The band have long been known to walking their own pathway instead of following along with the sheep of the music industry, dominating and being one of the frontrunners for all that is sludge.

Their set slathered the punters in the thick dripping ooze of sludge that cannot be washed from your body or soul even after 1 million showers. As Mike stood at the front of the crowd, arms outstretched; flipping the double bird to everyone in the room everyone was on a high that they would not come down from for a while. EYEHATEGOD have perfected their sound, presence on stage and engagement with the punters to a point where not much can be improved at all. As people in the crowd dance (as best you can to sludge), swayed, nodded their heads in unison and air drummed their way through the set EYEHATEGOD came, saw and absolutely conquered the Crowbar Sydney.