I love Friday nights but on the 1 Dec I was even happier, as the Midnight Juggernauts were going to play at the ANU, thanks to Landspeed 12th birthday, our beloved record store located in the heart of Canberra, who were celebrating their 12th birthday. Needless to say, I was very much looking forward to this gig. When the Midnight Juggernauts were touring Australia a few months ago, I couldn’t believe they were not coming to Canberra. However It was such a nice surprise when I found out, later on, that they would play at our lovely Capital before the end of the year.

Anyway, by the time I got to the ANU Bar on 01 December, the lads from Are All the Brave Dead were already playing and I must say, I was very impressed by their performance. They have improved so much since I saw them a few months earlier. This time the sound was much better, they had more stage presence and as a result, I really enjoyed their indie rock tunes like the ‘More Blood’ and ‘Children Of The Night’. I was also pleased to see the crowd were also really up for it.

The Hancock Basement DJs came next. It was the first time I had seen them DJ and being just a half hour set didn’t really allow me to get a proper feeling for what direction they were heading. However playing some 80s influenced electro tunes like Cut Copy’s ‘Time Stands Still’ did elicit a great response from the punters.

Up next came the talented Canberra/Melbourne kids Young and Restless, swashbuckling their indie/post hardcore/punk sound onto the audience. These guys really know how to get your attention. Playing tracks like ‘Dirty Kicks’ and ‘Black’, lead singer Karina set the stage on fire! She has such an amazing voice, and obviously a lot of passion.

Mikah Freeman came next, playing 30 minutes of some funky but still 80s inspired electro tunes; after all it was Landspeed’s 12th birthday and people were expecting this kind of vibe. When the Midnight Juggernauts reached the stage, the crowd was happy, bouncing along, waiting for more! I could not recognise the first track they played, so it must be something new, which is not in one of the 2 EPs they have released so far. Then they played some of their well known tracks like ‘Shadows’ and ‘45 and Rising’, which are tracks that I love and can be found in their latest EP, called ‘Secrets of the Universe’.
By the time the Midnight Juggernauts finished playing, I couldn’t stop grinning. I had such a great time, the music was fantastic and so was the crowd.

Mikah Freeman was set to close the night and I was smiling even more just by looking at him, wearing a blonde, long wig! He played some 80s classics and some raw 80s inspired tunes just to celebrate Landspeed’s birthday in style. Then, probably from a party nearby came the ‘Burlesque Girls’, nicely dressed in their burlesque outfits, invading the stage and the whole ANU Bar, which made me wonder if this was real, or if it was just the effect of the drinks I had before. Of course it was real, it was just a cheeky way of finishing the night and putting a smile on everybody’s face. Well, it worked! It was a great night, a true birthday bash anticipating many happy years ahead.