What did you do last night? Because Manning Bar only went and hosted ‘The greatest rock n roll band in the world’!*.
…Beat that!
Kicking off the Australian leg of the fabulously named ‘SuperPussy’ tour was American ‘cowpunk’ royalty Supersuckers and Nashville Pussy. What’s cowpunk? For the layperson, it sounds a bit Blues, undeniably Rock, and a whole lotta Roll.. but it’s more than that. It’s the people who put the punk in ‘cowpunk’. Think neon lights and roadhouse. Fleetwood Mac meets The Duttons and Yellowstone cowboys. It’s got that legendary southern respect going, but be careful ‘cause it also just one shot of Jack away from starting a bar brawl.
Getting the picture?
Cutting it fine, they arrived in Sydney only 48 hours before. The secret to beating the jetlag? Could it be their good friend Jack? While he probably helped, more likely it is that the two bands are genuinely friends and supporters of each other. Each taking time to watch and film the other, whether it was from the side of the stage or with the fans at the back of the bar, sending the good vibes.
And that’s the concept of the tour, each taking turns to headline and support.
Must say though.. Nashville Pussy did have the edge on energy last night. There was no stopping the curls, cowboy boots and converse once unleashed. Ruyter Suys and Bonnie Buitrago flanking lead singer Blaine Cartwright, in stage location only – nobody puts these guitarists in the corner of any stage.
The crowd delighted as the set unfolded, opening with Pussy’s not a Dirty Word, taking them on a journey through Come on, Come On, High and Hell, even dropping in You Give Drugs a Bad Name as a dedication for a friend!
By now, you shouldn’t just be getting the picture, you should be in the picture – front and centre. It’s so much fun!
Whether it was jetlag (or as lead singer Eddie Spaghetti mentioned, “this is the first time for a while we have been on stage together!”) Supersuckers still delivered even taking time for guitarist ‘Metal’ Marty Chandler, to play songs from his debut album (excellent by the way – give it a listen). Spaghetti still draws in the audience from behind his Stetson and aviators in a humble and charming way – with far less cocky bravado than you would expect from someone singing about being Pretty F$cked Up or being Born with a Tail! But this is the brilliance of the SuperPussy experience. Both bands here for a good time (for the fans and for themselves) and as they continue to demonstrate, they will be here for a long time!!
Maybe that’s the secret, the holy grail.. find something you love, do it with people you love and even on your most jet lagged day, the love will get you through.
What’s next? If you think you can handle this much SuperPussy, y’all can catch this super line-up in Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide… before heading back to Melbourne for a surprise End of Tour party for the 27 Jan public holiday. So, come on, come on, come on – FXCK YEAHHHHHH!!!!
*according to the band, but also possibly fact!
