Live Review: Supersuckers, Love Hate Rebellion - The Zoo

Young Brisbane trio Love Hate Rebellion are faced with quite a sizable crowd of dirty rock ruffians by the time they plug in and kick off, and although they're coming from a different musical realm entirely than their stage-mates tonight they make a decent fist of warming up the throng. Frontman Jimmy Sky and bassist Ariana Pelser share a tangible chemistry up front while skinsman Anthony Lawrence holds it together behind them, and there's plenty of promise in tracks like the nuanced Melancholia and brooding closer Sicker.
It's been over a decade since Tucson-bred rock pigs Supersuckers have graced a Queensland stage so the anticipation is tangible by the time the lights dim and an air ride siren signifies the onset of the rock, as four black-clad silhouettes emerge in a flurry of hair, cowboy hats, sunglasses and devil horns – they're back! Frontman/bassist Eddie Spaghetti is in fine fettle as they tear through a clutch of new tracks to open proceedings – Get The Hell, Fuck Up, High Tonight, Pushin' Thru and awesome Depeche Mode cover Never Let You Down Again all bleed together like one extended salvo – and every track is concluded by Spaghetti and guitar cohorts Dan “Thunder” Bolton and “Metal” Marty Chandler raising their axes vertically in unison in mock triumph. Indeed so much of this band's charm is in the way that they exaggerate rock'n'roll tropes to illogical conclusions, the result a mash of laughs and calculated mayhem. Old fave Bad Bad Bad brings some familiarity to proceedings, and they keep things raucous, raunchy and debauched as they power though Evil Powers Of Rock'N'Roll, Paid and the ever-frantic Luck. The way that everything is done with a wink and a smile elevates their live performances, but it's their unabashed rock'n'roll chops that make tracks like Rock Your Ass and the classic Creepy Jackalope Eye so much fun. They power through How To Maximize Your Kill Count, an instrumental cover of The James Gang's Funk #49 and Goodbye before invoking their trademark fake encore policy – they refuse to ever walk off and return onstage, and as ever it's so fun watching them fuck with rock clichés – and continuing on their killer way with Something About You, Gluttonous and Disaster Bastard, all from new record Get The Hell. The super-catchy Pretty Fucked Up would be a crossover smash in a perfect world, they give the crowd a choice of covers and it's no surprise that AC/DC's Rock'N'Roll Singer wins the vote unanimously before they finish as ever with the glorious Born With A Tail which as always finds middle fingers hoisted everywhere amidst Cheshire grins and flying beer. Supersuckers might be taking the piss when they continually call themselves the 'greatest rock'n'roll band in the world' but on tonight's blisteringly fun performance that appraisal really isn't that far off the mark.