The Last Broadcast

The Last Broadcast are quickly becoming known as one of Adelaide’s finest up-and-coming outfits and after their performance Saturday, it’s easy to see why. Fresh from recording their debut EP, Into the Night, the handsome five-piece are gearing up for a big year and kicked off celebrations Saturday night with the support of fellow Adelaidians, The Bakers Digest. Not-Too-Badelaide, Adelaide.

I should start off by mentioning that I love freebees. No matter what it is – if it is free, I want it. Thus you can imagine my excitement when the kind security guard at Jive passed me a FREE copy of the Last Broadcast’s EP as I walked through the doors. Well played boys, I loved you before ever hearing or seeing you, meaning this review is probably pretty biased (sorry).

As I entered the venue, the first thing I noticed was that the upstairs section was closed off. It’s never the best sign for a gig, but luckily I was too giddy with delight over my FREE CD to care. A moderately large crowd had gathered by nine o’clock and by nine-thirty, The Bakers Digest were ready to go. Taking the stage to an empty floor must be a daunting feeling. People were avoiding the floor in front of the stage like the plague and as a result, were all packed tightly by the bar. Regardless, the boys played a solid set delivering their take on the alt-folk-rock movement. The marriage between the crisp guitar and organ sounds were delicious, not to mention front man Tom Mason’s enticing vocals. Star of the set goes to single, Money Goes Lately. I was fighting the urge to break onto the dance floor and bust a move to that infectious backing piano – a little more liquid courage and I probably would have. It’s hard not to love a bit of old folk n’ roll, isn’t it?

Throughout the intermission, the crowd dramatically grew in size. By the time the hometown heroes were ready to take the stage, the venue was packed, punters had flooded the floor and yes, the upstairs section had opened. All eyes were on the projector and as the video began, a wave of silence was cast over the room as though someone had yelled Silencio (I saw Harry Potter yesterday). A black and white film shot onto the screen showing people dancing and having a ball, followed by a blackout with the words, “The Last Broadcast EP Launch” written in white. Bold. A few ‘yeahs’ and ‘woos’ were thrown towards the stage as the excitement grew. The video then crossed over to Channel Nine Weatherman, Brenton Ragless where he proceeded to give a report on the day’s weather, finishing with something similar to; “but sunny times are ahead as I cross live to Adelaide’s The Last Broadcast at Jive”. It was at this point that the boys exploded into their first song. Epic, smooth and thoroughly entertaining – well done.

Donning a black and white striped blazer, front man Tom Kurzel looked the part and certainly sounded it too, as did the rest of the band. The boys played like seasoned professionals and had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands, dancing and waving their arms about. Their infectious hooks and toe-tapping melodies instil a sense of fun and youthful ecstasy that stops nothing short of a good time and I would not hesitate to see them again. Oh and Tim Haslam? Boy, oh boy can that man play the piano – incredible.

The boys showcased tracks from their new EP, with the help of fellow Adelaide all-stars Aaron and Benn of The 20th Century Graduates, as well as performed a few ‘inspirational’ hits such as *Little Richard*’s Tutti Frutti, which was sensational. I do not think it is physically possible to frown during that song. Queen of Broken Hearts and Baby I know You were highlights, with the title track off of the EP, Into the Night proving to be an explosive end to the set.

An encore was called by the excited crowd as the boys left the stage, and to be honest it was pretty obvious that they had already prepared to give one. I don’t think that all of the band members had even made it off-stage before they turned back. My advice? Maybe next time; jump off stage, count one-Mississippi-two-Mississippi-three-Mississippi-four and then come back out – absence makes the heart grow fonder and it never hurts to build suspense. That said, the encore was tremendous, I could not have been happier with their song choice. Cranking out Army by Ben Folds is always a big tick in my book. Kudos.

All in all; a truly wonderful performance from one of Adelaide’s most promising up-and-comings. If you have a chance to see these guys live, which I am sure that you will in the near future, I would certainly urge you to do so. Get around these guys.

If I had to point out one improvement, it would be for Tom Kurzel to work on his left peck and I thank pianist Tim Haslam for pointing that out to me.
- Faster Louder

http://www.fringebenefits.com.au/category/reviews/the-last-broadcast - Fringe Benefits

Despite the freezing cold Adelaide weather, the hipsters and indie kids were in full form this evening at the Ed Castle hotel, were no doubt getting ready for an evening with local music heroes, The Last Broadcast, as well as the very eccentric and electrifying Melbourne band, Red Ink.

The Ed Castle hotel, known as the premier venue in Adelaide for up and coming, and underground indie bands, had an ominous feel to it this evening. The venue’s dim lighting combined with the cold weather gave it an aura which seemed to be very noir in a sense. The underground feel made you believe as though you might just be lucky enough to discover the next big Australian band before they hit the big time.

To kick start things, local band, The Bakers Digest, opened the show. The boys hit the stage with a roar of a beautiful clean guitar and an organ sound that could make you feel as though you were standing in a cathedral, not to mention that front man Tom Mason resembled Grizzly Adams wielding a Stratocaster. The Adelaide boys played a half hour set of what could be described as 70s rock ’n’ roll, very strongly influenced by bands such as Steppenwolf and The Doors. Their music feels like watching a band open for The Doors back in 1970. The boys from Bakers Digest performed a very strong and compelling set for the small crowd of twenty or so people; it was a pity they didn’t get more people into the band room.

Next on the bill was Melbourne band, Red Ink. In recent times this has been one busy band, playing a slew of headline shows around the country not to mention playing in high schools as part of the Rock the Schools initiative.

The band exploded on stage with a level of energy that was paramount, instantly immersing the crowd with their dynamic stage presence and a choice of very funky shirts. The Adelaide crowd had escalated to around fifty people and all of them were under the influence of Red Ink. After two songs it was evident that front man, John Jakubenko, was not going to allow the crowd to stand still as he screamed, ‘Come this way you nervous bitches’. Within a second, the crowd had moved forward, showing the assertiveness and control that the band had over everyone.

The crowd was instantly infected with the energy of Red Ink, much like downing several energy drinks, which was really easy to see when the band played some of their better known tracks. The entire crowd sang and danced to the extremely catchy single ‘What My Friends Say’.

Red Ink display a charm and cockiness on stage not seen by many other bands. It is exhilarating to see these Melbourne boys live. It is also impossible to stand still watchning a set and if you try, front man John Jakubenko will not stand for it, so be prepared to dance along.

It was now nearing 12.30am; the crowd had evidently had more than a few drinks and were getting rather excited for locals, The Last Broadcast, to take the stage. The band hit the stage like true musical veterans, their dirty distorted guitars hit and we were off to a very rock ‘n’ roll start to the set. The crowd was moving and dancing along as front man, Tom Kurzel, unleashed songs that had a very melancholy feel to them, perhaps because his voice has a very raspy and emotional element to it. This was best seen during the third song of the set when he declared the band was going to play a song about breaking up, with glasses of beer raised and the band establishing an emotional connection with the crowd that could not be severed.

At that stage it was difficult to believe that the band could top the moment but this was to be quickly disproven. The band welcomed a brass section featuring members of the 20th Century Graduates. The trumpets created a very strong dynamic infusion of rock and roll that the whole crowd was dancing along to, while one of the main highlights of the set was the band playing an amazing cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Like a Rolling Stone’. This cover was spectacular to say the least, taking the classic and adding their own twist with dirty guitars, raspy vocals and a beautiful musical backing.

Aside from the spectacular Dylan cover, the band played latest single, ‘Baby, I Know You’, from their upcoming EP, which the whole crowd seemed to love – evident by much drunken dancing.

The Last Broadcast performed a fantastic set – one you simply can’t turn away from.
- Tone Deaf - Matthew Mercieca

A balmy Friday night at the Ed Castle was the perfect setting for a great night of local music. Kicking things off were rock quintet Lyla, who put in a super strong performance. I can just imagine their energy and catchy, singalong type anthems transferring well to bigger stages like at the Big Day Out. The real disappointment during this set was that there was only a small handful of people watching. The awesome bass line really was the quietly driving force behind the two guitars, keyboard and some solid drumming – reminding me a lot of Melbourne four-piece Dallas Crane. These guys are definitely on my list to see again.

Next up were Adelaide indie scene stalwarts Galleon. It’s been a few years since I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Nick Deegan front a four-piece rock outfit, and he hasn’t slowed down one bit. The band really put their electric guitars to use and put in a solid performance for the slightly bigger crowd that had gathered.

Having never seen The Last Broadcast before despite meaning to, I can definitely say I was pleasantly surprised with how polished – but more importantly – how fun these guys are on stage. The five-piece was complemented by a two-piece horn section (better known as 20th Century Graduates ) on a couple of tunes – adding a fine touch to their blues-folk-pop-with-a-dash-of-60s-rock sound.

Not only was it the last show for drummer Michael Heath who’s off on other projects, but it was one of the last performances for the band before they hit the studio – and they certainly gave it their all. Within seconds there were people on the dancefloor, and by the end of the set around half the room was getting their groove on. Lead singer Tom Kurzel’s raspy vocals teamed with the band’s lively guitar and keyboard-driven sound was enough to get your happy hands out or your feet moving.

The only bad thing I could say was that it felt like the tiny stage at the Ed didn’t give them much room to move and really show what they’re capable of; especially for the last track Into The Night. It would’ve been great to see the boys go off on stage as much as the crowd was having fun in front of them. If you’re up for a night of upbeat, old-school with a modern feel type live show, these guys are a must-see.
- fasterlouder.com