Despite their sound running counter to the mainstream, the Midnight Juggernauts have managed to build a large following mostly through their MySpace page. In recent years the Juggernauts have also dappled in the overseas market with success, and now are ready to tackle Europe full steam. But before they leave Australian shores for what is hopefully a successful tour in a foreign market, they are bidding their faithful local fans a farewell – starting with Sydney. I was interested to see the trio live, even though my tastes swing more to the indie than the dance side of their heady mix.
Firstly, I was surprised to see a very large youthful crowd milling around The Enmore Theatre when I arrived. I assumed, obviously very wrongly, that the Juggernauts would cater to a slightly older crowd. I even spotted probably the youngest fan present that night, a nine-year-old having ear plugs fitted by his Dad. However, the mixed crowd all oozed the same excitement, with the overall vibe teetering close to carefree.
Opening tonight were the Bag Raiders and the French act M83. I made it to the venue just in time to see the first group of DJs leave the stage, and a sole member of M83 take center spotlight armed with a keyboard and laptop. The crowd eagerly cheered him on as the first beat erupted into the room, interspersed with random keyboard playing. I had the impression that he was improvising, which turned out to be exactly right. Halfway though his set he apologised in a thick French accent that his band were unable to perform tonight because their instruments didn’t make the flight to Australia. Even though he took to the stage alone, he bravely filled at least 30 minutes with danceable tracks from a borrowed keyboard and guitar. His efforts were warmly rewarded by the crowd.
The Bag Raiders managed to get the crowd moving and thoroughly warmed up again before the Juggernauts took to stage. From their intro, the elements of the unique MJ sound were over laid down slowly, one by one. It started with the heavy beat of the drums, then the riff of the guitar and twang of the synths, finally accented by vocals. The Melbourne trio have the power to get everyone moving, even if it’s just with a nod of the head to the bass beat. There were no surprises, then, that the dancefloor erupted into a chaotic swirl of movement.
The set progressed into what sounded like a sci-fi inspired chill session, but later picked up momentum again, progressing to tracks featuring slightly heavier rock. The Juggers played against the backdrop of a massive self-proclaiming banner. It later fell dramatically to reveal rows of multi-coloured light rods, enhancing the space-disco feel of the set. Most of the set was drawn from the new album Dystopia, but there was particular affection for anything from breakout EP Secrets Of The Universe. There’s no denying that the Juggernauts are talented risk-takers. Good luck boys!
kesh89 says...
i thought their performance was amazing and well worth what i paid for the ticket. the only thing that annoyed me was the lil teeny boppers jumping around without tshirts on and pushing each other to the floor
Beds says...
lol and the kids getting angry when people started pushing! get over it. pretty good set but.
boonanza says...
they played a brilliant set can anybody tell me what the song was that bagraiders opened with?
mlucinda says...
I absolutely love the Juggerz and they didn't disappoint at the Enmore. I felt like I had arrived at a school dance when we got there but the good thing was there were no cues at the bar....can't wait for Pnau now!