The Neptune Power Federation, Black Aces, Pilots of Baalbek, Caster at the Duke of Enmore, Sydney. 27 April 2024
Saturday night in Sydney and I find myself once again at the Duke in Enmore. I’ve sung the praises of this place before but it’s not without cause as it’s simply a great live rock and roll room and the shows are always free. Tonight the mystical cult of The Neptune Power Federation is gathering to launch their latest album and they’ve put together a corker of an undercard to help them out.
First up was Caster from Newy, a band of young blokes throwing punkish metal shades, featuring the son of the headliner’s guitarist chopping away on his own black axe. They were a little rough and ready but it was, I’m told, only their second show with this line-up and they clearly have potential. The screamy, weirdly angry sounding version of “Something in the Way” they closed with was cool, too.
Pilots of Baalbek come out in costumes that make them look like a cheap, post-Apocalyptic version of a Night Flight Orchestra video. The Canberra four piece plough right into fat, fuzzed out riffs and hard boogie with psychedelic flourishes. Like a cross between Status Quo and Lemmy-era Hawkwind, the Pilots power tightly through tunes about cargo cults, DB Cooper, and other vaguely aeronautical/sci-fi themes, occasional melodic splats and sound effects boost the catchiness of the big riffs. Out front, Adam Agius is low in the mix but his roar still has plenty of his old weight behind it.
Next, Black Aces set the stage alight instantly with blazing high energy rock and roll. Still lacking a second guitarist thanks to Airbourne pinching their last two rhythm players, being a three-piece is absolutely no hindrance to their ability to bring the house down. Wearing an old school Chisel shirt, Tyler Kinder’s huge vocals fill the room as Black Aces deliver sweaty, driving hard rock of the kind that used to fill rooms around the country. Hooky riffs and wild solos, swinging drums and total foot-stomping, headbanging abandon, Black Aces are the complete rock and roll package.
By the time The Neptune Power Federation begin the intro piece they use as the Imperial Princess makes her way to the stage, the front bar of the Duke is packed. I don’t have a vantage point so much as a spot where I can catch an occasional glimpse of the band through the crowd, maybe Mr Styx beating the crap out of his kit or InvertedCruciFox stepping up for some back-ups. It’s impossible to see much but then the Princess’ elaborate head-dress comes into view, her astonishing voice soaring above the crowd as she delivers powerful sermons of psychedelic rock. The theatrics obliterated by the audience, SeekandDestroy’s glorious guitar solos still rip through the night, the overwhelming catchiness of every song and the tightness and chemistry of the band is unmistakable. It’s not for nothing that I’ve considered the NPF one of our best bands for quite a few years now. Then, despite the assembled throng blocking my view for most of the show, I still manage to get personally blessed by the Princess as she passes through the room as the close of the set; again the Neptune Power Federation has left a room full of people in awe. We might be in something of a crisis when it comes to venues right now, but with bills like this one, the music itself is in amazing shape.
