Yours and Owls Festival is happening this weekend down in Wollongong and the festival sideshows have hit Sydney tonight at the Horden Pavilion we get a double dose of abstract punk rock. At the Drive In are headlining and Le Butcherettes are the support, so I expect this Friday night show to pack a real performance punch. 

Le Butcherettes are just one of those bands you should see live just to say you have, they really are a killer live act, front women Teri Gender Bender is the real driving force in this punk rock trio that hale from Mexico and it is easy to see why as she commands the stage with her mesmerising performance. I am amazed as during the set she swaps from English to Spanish on certain songs, then from keys to guitar and from a green flight suit to a sexy red dress. Wow, just wow, that is all I can say to what I have witnessed.  Le Butcherettes really are a powerhouse punk outfit that just really know how to set things off.  

It is now time for the main act, the band we all came to see, as the lights go out the pounding of drums begins as each member of this 5 piece walk out on stage and take their positions ready to start us off and start us off they do. Frontman Cedric Bixler has a pair of maracas in hand and then the hypnotic guitar work from Omar Rodriguez leads us into Arcarsenal, the crowd let out an almighty cheer, raise their hands high and shit just goes off from then on in. 

The way Cedric rocks the stage is unquestionably one of the greatest things you will ever witness, his stance as he grips the mic and belts out lyrics is pure rock n roll. Dropping the mic then kicking back up into his hand never ever missing it, not once, not ever. It has us all revved up and frothing for more, we are only two songs in and he is down on the barrier and already crowd surfing. At the songs end, which was No Wolf Like the Present from the latest album in•ter a•li•a, Cedric stayed on at the front of the pit, the photographers are all clinging desperately to try and capture the mayhem unfolding before them in a single shot, and he put the mic to SCENEzine’s own Christian Ross before launching us all into Pattern Against User. It would be an odd sight watching a lead singer go over the barrier into the crowd as members of the crowd would come hurtling over the barrier the other way.

The rest of the set would continue in this fashion as the musicianship of the band would be of pure sound quality, even in the walls of the Horden there is just no faulting it, absolutely fantastic. These guys have always been cutting edge musically and capable of delivering a stellar performance be they playing to a crowd of 10 or 10,000. 

Relationship of Command as you all know is regarded as one of the best rock albums in existence and tonight they pulled a majority of the set list from it with tracks like Cosmonaut and Invalid Letter Department just going off. That’s not to say the new stuff wasn’t a highlight, Governed by Contagions would be the song the set list ends with, a churning feedback of guitar as they make their exit. But if I could quote Regurgitator, ‘it’s just I like their old stuff better than their new stuff.’

There was one old classic we were yet to hear, so it came as no surprise we would be getting it for the encore. But right before they leave us with the biggest track of the night, Cedric gives us a little message that was inspired by his two kids and that message is ‘don’t let them steal your imagination’. After that it was chaos as the mosh became its most intense yet and everyone in the place started to give it one last go of rocking the fuck out, it was beautiful to see and a great way to end a stellar night.

Review – Chad

Photo Gallery – Christian Ross