Project Description
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AVALANCHE
@ The Cherry Bar, Melbourne,
6 February 2022
(Live Review)
Review and Photos by Darren Chan
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Finally, Avalanche is back in Melbourne! Their ‘Second Hand’ tour was postponed several times due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and they were last here in December 2019. I bumped into the band outside the Cherry Bar as they were loading in, and they were super excited and ready to rock.
The Cherry Bar is one of Melbourne’s iconic music venues complete with rock ‘n roll memorabilia, celebrating artists like Neil Young and AC/DC, adorning the walls. With their raw, in-your-face, straight-up brand of rock, it was a fitting venue for Avalanche to play a show and reconnect with fans.
Avalanche has been around for three years, and they’ve already established and matured their sound. As singer Steven Campbell mentioned to me before the show, “There’s no ballads or keyboards in our music, just good ol’ hard rock”.
And boy, did they rock! With punters waiting expectantly until 1am, Avalanche launched with “Killer Instinct”. Steven’s growling vocals and thumping bass lines lead the way, paced by Arthur’s intense riffing on rhythm guitar. And Veronica’s raw and passionate guitar solos were grounded by Ryan’s powerhouse drumming. It was clear the band was intent on blowing the roof off of the Cherry Bar.
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They continued with the title track of their latest EP, “Second Hand Band”, showcasing a fist-pumping opening riff. At this point, Veronica jumped into the crowd and proceeded with an organic solo, gettin’ all up in people’s faces without missing a beat.
The band then launched into a cover of “Sweet Baby Brown Eyes”, a catchy song from the lead singer’s Father’s band, with the addition of Avalanche’s signature raw hard rock arrangements. Next up came a band and crowd favourite, “Get Back”, which got the fans dancing.
When vocalist Steven belted out “You took my mind, you took my heart”, the opening lyrics to “Down in the Gutter”, he really had the crowd immersed in the music. I can’t remember the last time I saw so much fist pumping and dancing at a rock gig. During the track, Veronica really showed the crowd what a high intensity guitar solo is while standing on the tables at the back of the venue.
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Avalanche concluded their set by paying homage to one of their influences, a blistering cover of “Let There Be Rock” that would make AC/DC proud. Lead guitarist Veronica Campbell was channeling Angus Young as she lay on the floor and soloed with such intensity that everyone around her started playing air guitar!
During all the lockdowns, Avalanche has kept themselves busy creating plenty of new music. There’s a rumor of some upcoming singles being released and possibly an album in the works. Judging from the audience tonight, a lot of Melbourne music fans will be looking forward to hearing more.
With iconic rock bands AC/DC and Rose Tattoo having been around for over 40 years, it’s fantastic to know rock ‘n roll ain’t dead! Not by a long shot. Hard rock fans are lucky to have Avalanche, a young band of similar ilk also worthy of carrying the baton of high voltage, authentic, aussie rock ‘n roll. The future of hard rock is in really good hands.
Check out Darren Chan’s full gallery of this show HERE
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Follow AVALANCHE
INSTAGRAM – FACEBOOK – SPOTIFY
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Press Release January 2022 (below) HERE
AVALANCHE
to play 3 shows in Melbourne
on Feb 5 & 6 for
‘Second Hand Band’ Tour
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