Live Review: Sunk Loto, The Last Martyr & Osaka Punch

There was never any danger that this gig was not going to be well-received. With two shows already down, a Gold Coast and last week's "second" show on the 30th, there's been no end of great word of mouth going round that Sunk Loto were back and in FINE form. That didn't mean that people already knew what they were going to get and therefore, the excitement rubbed away, instead, the anticipation was high.

Osaka Punch never disappoint and in the words of one of my mates, "I love a band who understands the assignment." i.e. Osaka Punch came, they saw, they conquered, they did it quickly, succinctly and with a great deal of panache, style and pizazz. As they always do. The 4-piece led by Jack Muzak, hit the stage to the sound of Huey Lewis and The News and Osaka Punched their way through the set, with the already thick crowd dancing and moshing in equal measure. The people in attendance are all WELL aware of and fans of Osaka Punch, it was a no-brainer to put them on this show. A Wise choice.

The Last Martyr experienced some sort of technical difficulties at the start of their set, with vocalist Monica Strut briefly poking her head out to jokingly proclaim "Thank you, Goodnight!" as though that was it, that's all they had, but that was short-lived and they took the stage shortly after and waded through a set that was awesome, but could have benefitted from a slightly better mix. They smashed through a single-heavy set, even throwing their new single that drops this Friday, Sugar, mid-set - and it sounds like one not to miss! 

And just like that, it felt too early for Sunk Loto, but the reason for that was that their set was long, nostalgic and didn't miss anything. It would have been cathartic to put together and to perform for the band, and by god, it was cathartic to experience as a punter as well. This was not just a nostalgic experience, this was better than ever. The Sunk Loto that strode confidently on to this stage, though the same humans, was a whole new beast. This was a band who, at the tail end of their first leg of their career, were only mid-20s and had kicked off their career as literal teenagers/minors. There is just a confidence, a maturity, an assured-ness, that comes with age, experience, wisdom. These are musicians who learned their craft back in the day of pre-digital amps, who gigged relentlessly, their chops never in question. But now, this band on this stage was a band full of musicians who have had other bands in the preceding years, who have honed their crafts individually, who have mastered these instruments and then returned to the excellent material they wrote as younger men - and now perform and play with a whole new coat of feathers on.

Though the setlist was full of all the songs one would want to hear from a return gig, it mattered not, a Sunk Loto fan is one who knows ALL the songs, not just the singles. Lord knows that the people in the room that night have had the previous 15 years to pore over every last note of every song that they ever released, thinking that they would never ever get to hear new music from them again, let alone possibly hear them live on the stage again.

And now, walking away from the show, now more than ever, it seems ever possible that we *may* just get new music from them. Anything is possible, it seems.

SUNK LOTO: SETLIST - Saturday 6th August 2022 - The Triffid, Brisbane
5 Years of Silence
Fall Apart
Empty and Alone
Lift
Shiver
Human Ashtray
Starved
Everything Everyway
Primitive
Help
Chameleon
Submission
Sunken Eyes
Burning Bridges
Erased
Soul Worn Thin

Encore:
Porcelain Buddah
Vinegar Stroke