KICKSTART
The Rocket Room, Perth
Saturday 24 October 2009

Kickstart have their work cut out for them tonight following Melbourne band Lord onto the Rocket Room stage, and it’s made doubly hard by half of the band being unavailable. Luckily Chris & Simon from Psychonaut step in and Mike and Tony look like they have a great time playing with the new guys.

Tony Croce’s voice is back to full power after fighting a flu last time I saw the band, and it fills the small Rocket Room easily from first set opener Enter Sandman, through AC/DC’s Highway to Hell and onwards. Tony can turn his lungs to any style of rock, keeping the ladies at the front happy with Kings Of Leon’s Sex On Fire and Bryan Adams’ Summer of 69 as easily as the heavier numbers, and 90s Aussie rock tunes such as hunters & Collector’s Holy Grail. I can’t wait to hear some original songs from his ‘Coming soon’ band L.A. Riot to see what his voice is really capable of.

Michael Burke has a way of playing effortlessly within the song but still sounding like himself, which no doubt makes it easier for the stand in lads to jump up with minimal rehearsal.

Kickstart continue to entertain a couple of hundred punters every Friday and Saturday night, and they’ve certainly got nothing left to prove as a local covers band. As it stands, they bring their own distinct abilities and charisma into the mix and continue to sound vibrant and exciting rather than that scourge of cover bands - the jaded copyists. All Kickstart need now is to start bringing in some original material and things could really take off for them!

Shane