This review has been published on Cool Try.

If you do read it here, please also check it out there as there are some photos of the gig and you’d be supporting Cool Try.

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The Stress of Leisure opened up Regurgitator’s gig. They played a fun set of songs. The songs were enjoyable, light and punchy. The band’s set was smooth and clear. Whilst The Stress of Leisure did well as an opener, it would be nice to see them as a headliner.

Glitoris were up next. Their set was energetic. The songs sat mostly around punk and metal. What they played was deft and nimble. Some of the songs hit harder than than others, but the set was quite consistent. Much like The Stress of Leisure, their set had a good flow. It was tight, furious and fun. Glirotirs easily showed that they were worth seeing.

There was a surprise third support that came out and danced to Regurgitator’s “Head Roxx”. Once they had finished dancing, the surprise support played for about two minutes before disappearing. This was a nice way to have a little bit more warmup before Regurgitator came out to play. They were new aces on the scene. It’s hard to tell as to whether they will do well from here, but they seemed like a nice bunch. Hopefully they get to play again soon.

Regurgitator came on to the stage and after some banter, kicked into their set with “Roxx for Brains”. From there a set that did not feel its length unfurled. There was a nice mix of old and new due to the recent release of HEADROXX. Most of the album was covered. However, it didn’t feel like the album was the main focus. In this instance it was a good thing. The new songs were interspersed well throughout the set and didn’t feel out of place.

Despite a couple of smoothly brushed-off mistakes the whole set sounded effortless. Regurgitator went through each song with ease whilst sounding as energetic as they always have. It’s not often a band of their length puts in as much energy and enthusiasm into a set as Regurgitator does. They’re a band that both feed and feed off of their audience. It really helps the songs come to the forefront in the live setting. Regurgitator’s energy and enthusiasm give the songs a bit more depth and character. Rather than sound like a retread of what was recorded, there’s strong presence.

Ending the main set was “No Point”, another new song. Starting and ending the set with new material allowed for nice bookends. The nature of the song also allowed for the main set to come to a natural conclusion without the trappings of drama or grandiosity. It was simple and brief which, considering the rest of the set, all that it needed to be.

Kicking off the encore was “Weird Kind of Hard” which featured Peter Kostic in ballad mode. Despite its briefness it was a most wonderful performance. The song also had the best audience participation section of the night. It was good to see Peter come out from behind the drums, even if it was for such a brief time.

Two more songs were played with that; the last one of the night being “! (The Song Formerly Known as)”. It, as many other songs are a staple of Regurgitator’s shows. The crowd, whilst fairly engaged prior to the song really kicked it up a notch as Regurgitator worked their magic. Perhaps not all-too-soon, a satisfying set came to an end.

Regurgitator are a band that can sound good regardless of where they play. They know how to put in a good performance, always giving 100%. Whilst some of the set should be mixed up a bit more, they always have a consistently strong selection of songs to perform. Their supports are often as strong as they are. Seeing Regurgitator perform live is a real treat that’s worth the experience.