Live Review: The Big Kick On

The Big Kick On. If you think it just sounds like one giant big party, then you'd be absolutely correct. A few of the local scene's loudest rabble-rousers put their heads together to come up with the perfect send-off (or maybe send-up?) of the last night before the beginning of the end, aka *spooky voice* Queensland's lockout laws coming into effect! In all seriousness though, as much as this night is about a big party, it's also about highlighting a really important issue that's likely to permanently impact the live scene in Brisbane. So one hastily scrawled signature on the petition circulating and the doors of The Foundry, Black Bear Lodge, The Flying Cock and The Brightside were thrown wide open to punters for free. With a massive line-up including The Jensens, Golden Vessel, Twin Haus, Shag Rock, Romy and so many more, it was bound to be a big night.

The valley is no stranger to hosting big live music line ups across multiple venues, and the punters made the most of the relative proximity of each location, as a steady stream of people flowed in and out of different places throughout the night. It did take a little while for the various venues to really warm up, which might explain why the timetables slowly went out the window and all the sets seemed to get pushed back. At The Brightside it was all about the guitars, from the ethereal tones of Twin Haus to the rock'n'roll ruckus that is The Jensens and the indie rock of Baskervillian. Their sets were frenetic, lively and proof that denim really is making a big comeback.

Elsewhere at The Foundry, early crowds were delighted by the synth-heavy dream-pop of three-piece Leo. Their performance was followed by the dulcet tones of electro duo Lastlings. Up and coming Brisbane producer Golden Vessels was a standout, drawing a big crowd toward the end of the night.

At Black Bear Lodge, Romy brought some soul to the party, not to mention another kind of diversity (honestly, when are we going to get some gender balance in these line-ups?). Her set was polished and refined, an impressive feat, especially considering she's still quite new to the scene. At The Flying Cock Shag Rock had everyone dancing, while I OH YOU DJs brought the real party vibes.

And when the clock struck 12, Queensland was transformed from a glittering nightscape, to a dull and ugly pumpkin (well it wasn't quite that dramatic but you get the picture). Everyone raised their glasses to the night that was and would never really be again. As promised, the DJ sets went on late across all of the venues, proof that 99.99% of people are perfectly capable of having a good time out late without doing anything too silly. No one really knows what the future of Brisbane's live music scene will look like, but if it's on the way out, at least it went in style.