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OCEAN GROVE
+ Ratking + Indigo Blaze
@ Badlands Bar, Perth
27th May 2022
(Live Review)

Interview by Talia Ferguson

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Nestled away in the dark corners of Northbridge is one of Perth’s finest live music venues: Badlands Bar. Located off Aberdeen street and conveniently right across from McIver Station, this venue is perfect for patrons who want to have a few drinks at a gig and not worry about paying those ridiculous late night prices for an Uber.

Tonight, Badlands is being treated to a sold out show from three heavyweight acts – Ocean Grove from Melbourne, supported by two well known Perth acts: Ratking and Indigo Blaze.

It’s just after 8pm when I arrive. Doors had just opened and the beer garden was full to the brim of people taking advantage of the night’s drink specials. After collecting my pass, I decided to do the same. I grabbed a Passionfruit Mojito and headed inside to prepare for the first act.

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Indigo Blaze // Photo – Talia Ferguson Photography

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Indigo Blaze // Photo – Talia Ferguson Photography

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Indigo blaze stormed the stage with maximum energy, opening their set with ‘Horn Toad’. Although the crowd at this point was not at full capacity, singer Rhys Gahan still put his everything into his performance, running and jumping around the stage, making sure he covered all ground. The band also performed their latest single ‘Gas It’ for the very first time, which received positive reactions from the crowd. Catch Indigo Blaze at Revolve Skate Series in Geraldton on September 17, and check out their latest single ‘Gas It’ on all streaming platforms!

Next up was Ratking. I have been lucky enough to see Ratking before, supporting Redhook at Amplifier last year, so I knew what kind of performance I was in for. But it truly felt like they stepped it up for this Ocean Grove support slot! They opened their set with Hypocrite and the crowd was up and moving from the get go.  There were circle pits, walls of death and moshing to almost every song in Ratking’s set, and the entire band matched the crowd’s energy. There was plenty of interaction in between songs too, with guitarist AJ telling the crowd that Sam Bassal, drummer of Ocean Grove, helped them produce their next album, and then joked that the next song they played was ‘a new Ocean Grove song’. Overall, Ratking’s set was one with a lot of energy and a lot of banter, and that’s why the crowd loved them. You can listen to Ratking’s new single ‘Panic Station’ on all streaming platforms!

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Ratking // Photo – Talia Ferguson Photography

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Ratking // Photo – Talia Ferguson Photography

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Finally, it was the time everyone had been waiting for. The pre-performance playlist was getting everyone warmed up with classics such as ‘You’re The Voice’, ‘Freak on a Leash’, and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, but as soon as the lights dimmed, everyone knew it was go time. The members of Ocean Grove burst onto the stage with opening number ‘Superstar’, the crowd full now, in the standing area, as well as along the sides of the room, all the way to the back. Australia had been waiting 2 years for this tour, as it was initially meant to celebrate the release of their album ‘Flip Phone Fantasy’, but the dreaded COVID got in the way, and the band has since released another album, ‘Up in the Air Forever’. The long wait and anticipation had made this crowd even more excited, meaning they were more rowdy. Just like during Ratking ‘s set, there were pits during almost every song, as well as crowdsurfing and stage diving. The band seemed to love it, feeding off their energy and using it as fuel for their performance. Vocalist Dale Tanner loved the crowd so much, he jumped off stage and stood in the middle of the crowd to sing! “That was fun! You should all do that!” he said with a huge grin.

During the more intimate part of the set, Dale spoke about how important ‘divine individuality’ is: “Find that one thing that makes you feel like an outsider, like a freak, like a weirdo, like an oddball; That one thing that you try and hide away from other people, that makes you feel scared and ashamed – whatever it is. That is the one gift that you have that makes you different and fucking powerful. Find that one thing and make it your greatest fucking asset because it makes you shine and you should never fucking hide it.” That then lead into the song ‘Freaks’ from their album ‘Flip Phone Fantasy’. A few phone torches lit up (and one guy with a lighter in the front row) and lots of swaying arms.

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Ocean Grove // Photo – Talia Ferguson Photography

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Ocean Grove // Photo – Talia Ferguson Photography

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After they performed another hard hitting song (‘Shimmer’, which is one of my personal favourites), they brought the vibe back up with ‘Flava’, with Dale saying he wanted to get everyone dancing. Other highlights of the night include drummer Sam Bassal’s drum solo at the end of ‘Guys From the Gord’, Bassist Twiggy Hunter handing his bass to Dale and taking the mic for ‘Neo’, and both members singing for ‘Silence’, rainbow lighting during ‘Cali Sun’ and people getting on each other’s shoulders, and the entire crowd using up all their energy during the last song (‘Sunny’) by pitting, moshing, crowdsurfing and stage diving to the extreme!

Overall I hadn’t been to a show with that much energy, and that had a crowd that receptive in a long time! Ocean Grove are an incredible live band, who also seem like very genuine, down to earth people. The band were partnering with environmental cause Sea Shepard for their entire tour; they had a merch stand set up for them, and encouraged the crowd to buy something, or go find out how they could help.

As the night ended and people filed out of the venue, quite a few people stayed back to hang out in the beer garden and chat about their night with friends. It was certainly a night to remember!

Ocean Grove finish off their tour in Brisbane and Sydney this week, before playing three Full Tilt Festival shows, and then join a massive lineup for Monolith Festival in August/September. Check out oceangrove.tv for dates and cities.

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Ocean Grove // Photo – Talia Ferguson Photography

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Ocean Grove // Photo – Talia Ferguson Photography

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Check out Talia Ferguson’s full gallery of this event HERE

Follow OCEAN GROVE

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Ocean Grove // Photo – Talia Ferguson Photography

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Ocean Grove // Photo – Talia Ferguson Photography

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AMNPLIFY – DB