LIVE: SHE WHO ROCKS – Perth, 22 May, 2015

Shane | 27 May 2015 | Reply

LIVE: SHE WHO ROCKS – Perth, 22 May, 2015
Featuring Baby Animals, The Superjesus and The Joy Evelation
The Charles Hotel, Perth, Western Australia, Friday, 22 May, 2015
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
Photography by Awakening Vixen Photography

Show One on the inaugural She Who Rocks tour proved a blinder for all involved – especially the sellout crowd at North Perth’s Charles Hotel.

Starting off with The Joy Evelation, the first in a line of winners of a public-voted competition to choose opening acts with a string female presence, the night got off to a raucous start. Frontwoman Mia Joy exudes confidence and delivered a strong set of originals including Resigned, Stain from their new EP, and You Rock. With things going so well for them and only a short time to impress the packed house, they also played extended versions of Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love and Jimi Hendrix’s Highway Chile: both superb songs and both delivered with style, but perhaps showcasing their own material would have been wiser.

The Superjesus’s singer/guitarist Sarah McLeod is another brashly confident and supremely talented woman, and she leads her band through a charismatic set that is arguably the best we’ve ever seen from them. An enthralling Shut My Eyes, Second Sun, a kickarse Secret Agent Man and Down Again, plus a couple of storming new tracks all prove they are a better band than some may remember them.

[Show picture list]

As good as The Superjesus are, Baby Animals have an extra pinch of je ne sais quoi about them and from the moment they step on stage with the ultimate opener Rush You, they’re a notch above anyone else in the game. Suze DeMarchi’s vocals are huge – a force of nature – while Dave Leslie’s guitar work has its own magic fluidity to it. Email, Early Warning, One Too Many, Painless and more from across their three albums all get an airing, with DeMarchi obviously revelling in her revisited role as Rock Queen.

The first gig of the She Who Rocks tour worked on every level: a sell-out crowd, so the band and venue made a buck. Showcasing bands with extremely talented female musicians is never a bad idea, and they proved (as they always do) that they can rock just as hard and be just as talented as the guys. All three bands on the bill performed a stunning set, rising to the occasion brilliantly – and not a soul left that building having had anything other than a fun, sweaty, good time of some of this country’s best rock n’ roll. If She Who Rocks continues as an ongoing concept, everybody wins.