Swapping the beaches of Melbourne for the canals of Birmingham, tonights headliner’s Press Club make their long awaited return to the UK backed by a basketful of bangers from their brand new record, Endless Motion.
First though local lads Lovebreakers get the night started with their punked up rock ‘n roll tunes. While their vocal lines and tones may be reminiscent of Billie Joe Armstrong, musically the band sit far closer to Foxboro Hot Tubs than they do Green Day with an almost retro, 50s style swagger to their playing. The trio ooze with confidence and serve up some solid songs to get the night underway.
Huge cheers and a packed out room greet Press Club to the stage. Their stock seems to have risen quite a bit since the last time they were on a full UK tour and with good reason. Although tonight’s setlist focuses mainly on material from the new album almost every track is welcomed like an old friend; the likes of ‘Untitled Wildlife’ and ‘Eugene’ inspiring big singalongs despite only being out in the world for a few weeks. The frenzied energy of Nat Foster’s on-stage aerobics bringing an extra edge to the band’s already manic sound. When they do dip into their back-pocket and crack out the crowd pleasers in ‘Seperate Houses’ and ‘Headwreck’ the response is no less enthused.
By the time Press Club reach their customary closer ‘Suburbia’, unsurprisingly inspiring the biggest sing-along of the night, the realisation hits of just how many brilliant tracks the band now have and fitting them into only a fifty minute set proves impossible. Three albums in and the band have already reached the point where no-matter what gets played, they always leave you wanting more.