Band - BugGiRL

Gig: BugGirl "Blood Sweat & Beers tour"
Supports: The Convulsions, The Scarlets
Venue: Cherry Bar, Melbourne – Free gig
Date: Sunday 7th February 2010

Heading into the city on a fine Sunday night, I was in the mood for a classic night of dirty heavy rock at Cherry Bar.

When you are handed a free EP by the headline act as you walk in the door, you know that you're in for a good night. Even more so, it's a clear indication that BugGiRL love what they do and are willing to give up their hard earned to advance their cause. Personally, I think it's the best type of marketing and will certainly always go a long way to winning my attention.

The Convulsions took the stage first and warmed up the crowd with 30 minutes of thumping rock. With plenty of energy but no desire for theatrics, they provided a solid opener for the night. It was their covers, however, that provided the best, most sonic, moments of their set.

Between sets, Nelli Scarlet (lead singer of the second support, The Scarlets) was spotted limbering up with a few yoga stretches. This set my expectations for a performance full of rock-chick high kicks and bended-knee stage poses. However, I was disappointed to witness no such thing, as Nelli stayed relatively static. Whilst nothing special, I enjoyed their songs, such as Dirty Rock Baby and Your Face, as well as a cover Creedence Clearwater Revival's Proud Mary, but felt that their music was maybe lacking the stage performance it required.

There was a cheerful but reasonably sedate crowd, notching about 50 in number, as BugGirl took the stage. Beers in hand, the majority of the crowd gathered a few meters back from the stage.

Opening with Rock'n'Roll Hell, followed by Dirt in Skirt, it was full power all the way as BugGirl ripped out their no fuss rock with the highest energy level of the night. Their energy began to flow into the crowd and with beer(s) in hand, I was having a great time feeding off said energy and rocking along to the setlist. Their EP songs, such as title track Blood, Sweat & Beers and Motor City Lover, where highlights and just plain fun.

Whilst the song rocked, hearing V8 Motor live provided the most evidence that BugGirl really could do with a solid bass line to give it the oomph that song needs.

With local bands like The Cheats and The Fumes doing well with the Guitar/Drums concept, it's not the easiest style to pull off without the right synergy and voice. BugGirl are the first such act I have encountered with a female vocalist/guitarist...and not only can Amber hold her own against any such acts on the guitar...this girl can sing! However, being not quite as diverse as the aforementioned acts, BugGirl's pub rock would clearly benefit from the power and kick of a bass guitar.

Their sound and vocals clearly channels their classic rock heroes - Motley Crue, AC/DC, KISS – so if you're not a fan of such guitar rock, you're unlikely to become a BugGirl disciple.

They filled their set with a number of covers (maybe one too many), which clearly indicated their influences. First was the KISS anthem, Rock and Roll All Nite, a song which I specifically hate, primarily due to the excessive repetition of the one line chorus ("I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day...") but, thankfully, Buggirl's punked up version was much shorter and definitely bearable in the live setting of Cherry Bar. The next cover was the highly predictable but ultimately forgivable TNT from AC/DC - the coming week marked the first Melbourne AC/DC concerts in a decade...and being guitar rock band at Cherry Bar it would be impossible not to pay tribute, as per BugGirl's rendition.

The Angels' Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again was their final cover (and "the best one", according to drummer, Clinton). The song also ended their set, as they found themselves out-of-time in the noise-restricted bar.

Ultimately, BugGirl (and the supports) provided me with exactly what I wanted, a quality night of rock...and for FREE! I will be definitely be back for more from these acts.

Lastly, this night at Cherry was also a perfect example of why the local live music scene needs to be protected from ill conceived Liquor Licencing laws. There was not a moment of aggression caused by tonight's live/amplified music...just a happy crowd of considerate rock loving randoms.

Rock on Melbourne!

Bar - Cherry Bar, Melbourne City

Cherry Bar's short and "famous" history is no secret around Melbourne. From the many celebrities and big-name bands that frequent the bar whilst in town, to claims that Noel Gallagher offered to buy it in 2002, Cherry has often threatened to become exclusive by association. Thankfully, however, it never has.

Set up ten years ago as an outlet for live rock and roll when the genre seemed to be dying in Melbourne, Cherry is as popular today as any small Melbourne venue has ever been.

Wandering down the steep laneway that is ACDC Lane, those not familiar with the entrance may need to look twice for the door, which is somewhat camouflaged into the poster and graffiti adorned brick wall. Stepping through the door, you will probably feel out of place for a moment if you're not dressed predominately in black or covered in tatts. Fortunately, this is not an issue, because the Cherry crowd is rarely a pretentious one and the vibe is super casual and friendly. Cherry's patrons are music loving randoms. Sure, you see the occasional poser, pair of stupid high-heels and that guy who knows everyone, but that's just the city for you.

Often referred to as "grungy", I suspect that label often comes from the people who spend most of their time in the DJ clubs and Euro pubs...and not in the depth of the live rock scene.

Despite its hard rock reputation, Cherry is by no means grungy. With a low-lit red and black interior and low-light, the "authentic rock character" factor inside can seem a little forced. Cherry is clean, well maintained (in part helped by the smoke&water damage of the fire in the overhead buildings back in 2008, which required repairs to Cherry’s roof) and sparsely but carefully decorated. Here it is more about "that conversation we had with that guy" or
that gig when the band played/did that". Head up the road to Pony for grunge.

The clearest indication that Cherry is a lot shinier than it pretends to be is the lack of a draught beer tap. There is currently only one beer tap and it was pouring Stella Artois ($4.50/pot) when I was there recently. This premium import lager gives away the bar's desire to appeal to a "higher end" city crowd. I'm sure the true rock patrons at the bar would much prefer $4 pots of VB/CarltonDraught/BoagsDraught (yes...if you're gonna have a shit been on tap...then have a shit local draught on tap).

Nevertheless, the crowd dictates the bar's priority, with Melbourne Bitter stubbies proving the choice drink for the majority, keeping the beer's reputation as Melbourne's dirty pub rock beer.

Fortunately, the bottled beer selection is much better and generally superior to most equivalent bars in the area. Looking up to the roof beam which is used as the beer menu chalkboard, you find a list ranging from local stubbies for $5.50 to boutique local and international beers for $8, the bar has a useful range. The best value is Matilda Bay's Beez Neez for $6.50/bottle. However, this honey-infused Pale Wheat Ale is a niche beer that won't be to too many peoples liking.

I was happy to see at least one guy nursing a Little Creatures Pale Ale, the clear pick of choice beers to suit this venue...if money is not an option. Unfortunately for me, as often the case, my money situation restricted me to stubbies of VB, which I was quite happy to suffer for the $5.50 price...reasonable enough in the middle of the city (these days you'd expect to pay a least $6 at most CBD bars for their base lager).

As for the rest of the drinks selection, behind the bar you will find the usual selection of spirits and some wine...plenty to suit practically everyone.

Cherry's split level layout is perfectly suited to the acts the venue showcases. The lower level allows those who just wanna rock out to fill the floor in front of the stage, with bench seats/steps running around the perimeter of the square for those who need to relieve their feet or want to see the stage action over the tall heads in front of them. Others can choose to hang back on the upper level against the bar or relax a bit on the couches, with a couple of low tables to rest your drinks on.

The sound is top quality throughout the venue, maybe a little understated at times (not always a bad thing!).

I think that the best time to go to Cherry is generally on the "quieter" nights (any time other than Friday and Saturday nights), when a modest crowd will allow you to move freely and enjoy some couch time. Although, there's always something special about being jammed in for a hot and heavy night of rock at Cherry Bar...just get in early, because you shouldn't have to queue for a venue like this and will find yourself doing so on the popular nights.

Cherry is a great venue and a fairly rare breed around Melbourne's CBD. It can be hard to leave once you've settled in. Just don't be fooled to think that Cherry is the essence of authentic Melbourne rock...because it does not yet quite have the blood, sweat, sticky carpet and tears behind it that some other venues possess...(or maybe I still slightly jaded by the recent closure of The Tote!).

The backlit graffiti-scratched bar at Cherry