Review and gallery: JD Garrahy

Friday night at The Triffid has brought out all the freaks. For we are here to bare witness to the Prince of Ghoulish Greatness, the Emperor of Eerie, the one, the only, Mr Motherfucker himself, Wednesday 13.

I can imagine selecting a support act for ANY show would be difficult, but sometimes, a band is put on the bill that just fits perfectly. Tonight, it’s Terror Parade. Adorned with black leathers, lingerie, chains and face paint, the four piece local outfit wastes no time working the crowd into a frenzy.

Blasting riffs coupled with the guttural screams of front woman Zichxyna, it’s hard to imagine a better fit to open this show. The crowd headbangs in unison and limbers themselves up for the upcoming assault of the eardrums that Wednesday 13 will bring very soon, this is local performance metal at its finest. Get into this band if you’re not already, they will smash your brain to oblivion and leave you screaming for more.

If you were around over 2 decades ago when Beyond The Valley of the Murderdolls was released, you know that it changed the way you viewed metal completely. Slipknot drummer, the late, great Joey Jordison smashed his way into the guitar world with his new band Murderdolls. We were all surprised to see him out from behind the kit and he introduced us to a fresh faced 25 year old vocalist named Wednesday 13. The birth of Glam Horror Metal has occured right beneath our noses, and we damn happy it did.

A few technical glitches delayed the band’s arrival on stage, but when they hit, it was all out, utter mayhem! Launching straight into Chapel of Blood, it’s easy to see why there is such a devoted fanbase for this artist. Following up with Death Valley Superstars and the brilliant 197666, W13 has the audience eating out of the palm of hand.

Paying tribute to the aforementioned Jordison, W13 and band crack into Slit My Wrist, Love At First Fright and She Was A Teenage Zombie, all three tracks from their debut release. They sounded massive 22 years ago, tonight, they sound even better. I’m sure W13 has the location of the Fountain of Youth, he just doesn’t seem to age and his voice just gets better as time goes on.

Tonight is all about Murderdolls songs and with his Captains hat firmly fixed to his head, Wednesday just keeps the crowd enthralled for the entirety of the show. Giving the fans what they want, is exactly what this tour was about, we had our worlds flipped upside down 20 years ago, and tonight we get to thrash it all out with as much ferocity as we can muster.

As we go into Blood Stained Valentine and Pieces Of You we get a true vision of just how talented this outfit is, Jack and Roman’s shredding guitar work coupled with Troy and Mike’s rhythm section makes for one hell of a performance. Everything is flawless in its execution.

After an amazing drum solo, the set delves into tracks People Hate Me, Welcome To The Strange and Nowhere. Not a beat is missed, nor a chord misplayed, masters of their craft is certainly an understatement here.

As the set closes out with Summertime Suicide, the crowd cheering for more, its not too long before they take the stage once more and belt out quite possibly the finest rendition of Billy Idols White Wedding. What a way to start an encore! Hitting the final two songs makes it feel like this night was over way too soon. I Love To Say Fuck and Dead In Hollywood are those two songs, a perfect way to close out what was quite possibly one of the greatest shows of the year (yeah, im saying that in February).

Wednesday 13 is the pure embodiment of what it is to be a true showman. His energy, passion and focus are unmatched, and he knows exactly how to deliver a show of epic proportions. If the Duke Of Spook hits a town near you, get to that show. You will not be disappointed.

Sat, Feb 3: The Metro, Sydney
Sun, Feb 4: Max Watts, Melbourne SOLD OUT
Tues, Feb 6: Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide
Wed, Feb 7: Rosemount Hotel, Perth ALMOST SOLD OUT

Tickets on sale now
ThePhoenix.au