Corner Hotel, 22nd June 2012.
When I’m invited to see a band that I’ve never heard of before, I avoid listening to their music beforehand so that my so that my first impressions aren’t clouded by expectations. I wasn’t sure of what to expect from The Vasco Era; what I didn’t expect was to leave The Corner Hotel with was a bruised upper right eye and aching ribs. Front man Sid O’Neil appeared on stage first, and there was nothing in his gentle strumming to foreshadow the mosh that soon erupted. I had started the night at a weekly Cascade marketing event and filled up on free beer for two hours, so I may have been surprised by this chaotic change of mood, but I was certainly ready. The three-piece from Melbourne burst at the seams with thunderous rock energy throughout the set, providing a perfect backdrop for thrashing about with reckless abandon and shoving hopeless drunks out of one’s way. The set leaned on something a bit harder at times but turned away at the right moments, giving exhausted moshers and cranky hipsters short respite. This was The Vasco Era’s final show before going on hiatus for a variety of reasons ; a bestial but heartfelt send-off that was felt by all.
