Tuggeranong turned up in force to support rising pop-kings, Amy Meredith. Performing at the newly refurbished, Maram, the group were touring their debut album Restless.
Opening the evening were Dirty Secrets and The Take. Both bands ably supported Amy Meredith and mostly succeeded in luring the crowds towards the stage. Dirty Secrets in particular performed well with their blend of nu-wave rock, infusing driving beats with the melodic vocals of lead-singer, Jarrah McCleary.
At around 10.30pm the stage was once again bare, and the crowd held their breath in anticipation for the pop onslaught that would reign down upon them. Opening with the catchy pop-anthem Late Nights, the crowd immediately rose with excitement for Amy Meredith.
Still in it’s infancy after forming in 2006, Amy Meredith is showing increasing amounts of staying power in the Australian music scene. This was evident in the warm reception from the Canberra audience as lead-singer Christian Lo Russo relentlessly jumped across the stage belting out tunes such as This War.
Early sound issues with the band’s fold back were quickly sorted out, and the concert continued at an infectious pace.
Lo Russo showed no signs of slowing down as he moulded himself into the archetypal front man. With his occasionally over-theatrical gestures to the crowd, and his air drumming, the crowd continued to jump and cheer to his platter of pop.
Tunes such as Pornstar unsurprisingly roused any dreary members of the audience from their sleep. It seemed the crowd were quick to join in an impromptu karaoke session, spurred on by the antics of Lo Russo.
Not content to perform just their own material, Amy Meredith did a cover of Video Killed the Radio Star, much to the delight of the audience. Following this was a drum solo from Kosta Theodosis which managed to incite the audience into a mild frenzy.
The real frenzy began as the band performed their hit single, Lying. With the floor shaking beneath them, the crowd showed no intention of hiding their appreciation for the song and Amy Meredith, and crowd surfing girls were sent gliding across the swarm of punters.
It was a fun night, and one which is furthering The Maram’s presence on the Canberra music scene. If you haven’t been there yet, get down to the valley and see a show at this fantastic new Canberra venue.
Photos by Chris Whitfield.
