Recommended Aussie Tunes:Psycroptic | The new single "A Fragile Existence" | Listen

Live Reviews : Steel Panther & Black Stone Cherry @ Festival Hall, Melbourne 18/06/2016

By on June 19, 2016

Words: Damo Musclecar

Images: Matt Allan

(Click here to view the full gallery)

There are two things one can always expect at a Steel Panther show: seriously bitchin’ tunes and an abundance of naked female flesh and tonight delivered both. It’s like 1988 all over again and Steel Panther’s journey to save heavy metal has now been three name changes and 16 years in the making. It’s this commitment to writing comedy metal albums and a hilarious stage show that has made them the big bucks, a household name, and why we have had them returning to our shores for the last four years.

20160618_110794-Edit

Black Stone Cherry

Opening the show was Kentucky’s Black Stone Cherry, a heavy Southern Rock band packed full of good rhythms, groovy riffs and some bar fightin’, truck stop dinin’, and good ole fashioned downtuned jams. Like many tonight, this was my first Black Stone Cherry experience having heard their name thrown around for many years now and always getting them mixed up with Blackberry Smoke and all the other bands called Black-something, and I was impressed. These guys didn’t need all the flashy lights and witty stage-banter because they came with songs and from the crowd’s reception, they were highly appreciative of their welcomed first trek to Australia. They finished their set with (half of) Motorhead’s Ace Of Spades which woke up anyone who was still dealing with their “I only came for the headliner” blues. A good effort indeed. Y’all come back now, y’hear?

Once the lights dropped and Love / Hate’s Blackout In The Red Room blasted over the PA system (the perfect tune to get a crowd riled up), the audience was electrified and ready to party. The awesome foursome came on stage and without wasting any time, kicked off the show with their staple opener, Eyes Of A Panther. They came on strong and without stopping dished out Tomorrow Night and Fat Girl (Thar She Blows) in a triple assault on the ears of good time heavy metal and the crowd lapped it up. They sounded great and the energy levels were high, the crowd electric, and with that combination, you’d be have to be made of wet rags to not get down and get with it with the Panther. After taking what seemed like half an hour to introduce the band members, they tore through hard rockin’ classics Just Like Tiger Woods and Asian Hooker, while Satchel lapped up every bit of spotlight he could with his own solo as he shredded through the likes of Guns N Roses, Metallica, Black Sabbath and our very own Advance Australia Fair. You gotta hand it to him, he knows how to play that guitar like a motherfucker from hell.

20160618_111036-Edit

Steel Panther

Tearing through tracks like Ten Strikes You’re Out and Gloryhole, it wasn’t long before the stage became invaded by girls for their Extreme-esque ballad, Girl From Oklahoma, and the riff-laden 17 Girls In A Row. They finish their set with Death To All But Metal to thunderous applause before returning for a crowd singalong of Community Property. They end the night with the anthemic Party All Day (Fuck All Night) to which the crowd seemed kinda bummed that they didn’t stick with Satchel’s idea of locking the doors and playing til six in the morning. Fuckin’ curfews, man! I don’t blame them though, this show was a blast! All in all, everyone seemed to be in good spirits and loved every minute of it.

No matter which way you look at it, these guys know their metal. Sure, it’s totally over the top misogynistic, sexist and 100 percent politically incorrect but there’s a reason why they win awards like “best comedy album” because that’s exactly what it is; a comedy show with spandex and guitars and shouldn’t be seen as anything but that. For the historians among us, Satchel was once the guitarist for Rob Halford’s band, Fight (which if you haven’t heard, you really should rectify this immediately), and has worked with Mr Big’s legendary songwriter, Paul Gilbert, while vocalist Michael Starr was the frontman for the Van Halen tribute band, Atomic Punks, and had a brief stint fronting LA Guns (true story… listen to the 1998 EP Wasted). These guys have paid their dues and being a member of Steel Panther has been good to them.

20160618_110911-Edit

Steel Panther

I honestly didn’t believe these guys would have been able to stretch this gimmick out as long as they have because let’s face it, novelties wear thin after a while and like Manowar, it seems like each song has the same 25 words just sang in a different order. Sure, half the jokes are rehashed and we’ve heard them the last three tours but truth be told, they’re still funny. These guys have managed to find a formula and business model that works but truth be told, the real deal here is the songs. Crude lyrics aside, Steel Panther actually have the music and talent to write memorable catchy songs. These guys know glam rock like it’s in their DNA and with a well decorated background like theirs these guys aren’t laying this to rest any time soon and thank god for that. They’re extremely talented and judging by the sold out crowd who handed over $100 a ticket to see tonight’s show, they’re also a lot smarter than people give them credit for. It’s a more modern Spinal Tap and I can tell you now that I’d rather hear tracks like Eatin’ Ain’t Cheatin’ and Gold Digging Whore than hear someone tell me their amp goes up to 11, again. This shit rules and having grown up listening to the likes of Cinderella, Def Leppard and Poison, it’s a treat to these aging ears hearing some good ass-kicking hair metal because not a lot of it makes its way down under. I’m still waiting to hear Cleveland Roxx appear in their set list though but there’s still time for that.

Steel Panther are on tour in Australia now with Black Stone Cherry, thanks to MJR Presents. Tickets can be purchased HERE.

MONDAY 20TH JUNE – EATONS HILL HOTEL BRISBANE, QLD
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au

WEDNESDAY 22ND JUNE – THEBARTON THEATRE ADELAIDE, SA
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au

THURSDAY 23RD JUNE – METRO CITY PERTH, WA
Tickets available from www.megatix.com.au

SUNDAY 26TH JUNE – POWERSTATION AUCKLAND, NZ
Tickets available from www.aaaticketing.conz
– BLACK STONE CHERRY NOT APPEARING –