Goodgod Small Club is packed early on and it’s great to see people watching the support acts. Even when the support act is Palms, who seem to be supporting everyone in Sydney. It’s the fourth time I’ve seen them this year and to their credit they are improving as a live act.
They engage with the crowd, they all play well and they’re incredibly enthusiastic. These are elements that should make a band enjoyable to watch, but for some reason they’re just not. Their set lags a little, especially when they sell one of their songs as ‘the depressing one’.
They throw in a cheeky snippet from ‘Farewell Rocketship’ by Children Collide at the end of one their songs, which livened it up a bit. On stage they’re natural performers, they joke with each other between songs and use the space they have to their advantage. I give credit where it’s due, there’s just something about them that I don’t enjoy.
Velociraptor come on stage while ‘Girls on Film’ by Duran Duran is playing and start dancing. When a band is having an awesome time together on stage before even picking up an instrument, you know you’re in for a good show.
They scream, jump and cause havoc from start to finish. They swap instruments, change positions and move around into the crowd so effortlessly and quickly that it’s hard to keep track of who has gone where. The tambourine player loves walking through the crowd and does so every chance he gets.
Single ‘Riot’, is the second song on the setlist and it brings the crowd to the edge of the stage. The people in the front don’t stop moving and dance with each member as they walk into the crowd.
Their non-stop energy is reminiscent of The Hives – the music is fast and heavy and each song is over in about two minutes. They’d almost pass as The Ramones, especially with their skinny black jeans and the drummer’s bowl cut hairdo.
‘Sleep With The Fishes’ and ‘Hey Suzanne’ are standout songs, mainly because they’re the only songs that are recognisable within the noise they create.
Velociraptor were chaotic, energetic and so much fun, it was hard not to smile when it was so obvious just how good a time they were having.
Justine McNamara 