Melbourne’s Kingswood are arguably Australia’s closest answer to America and Europe’s Rock music scene, and they decided to show Canberra what that means at ANU bar on Thursday night.

The Sinking Teeth started with an unexpectedly loud clash of drums that sounded like gunshots. With their screaming vocals and screeching guitars, they seemed an odd fit with Kingswood, but there were some nice harmonies that featured occasionally through tracks.

Set to a soundtrack of 99 Problems but a bitch ain’t one, and amidst plumes of smoke and flashing lights, headliners Kingswood wandered onstage and picked up their instruments to the encouraging screams of the audience. Lead singer Fergus Linacre donned a Britney Spears tour shirt with the arms cut out, showing a cheeky sense of humour.

It’s always a nice touch when bands open their show with the opening track of their album, and Kingswood did exactly that by starting with All Too Much.
Kingswood are pure Rock’n’Roll; immense energy, a flawless live show, and a general abundance of long hair.

Despite guitarist Alex Laska saying he’s still getting used to taking on the lead vocals on their single I Can Feel That You Don’t Love Me, he nailed it. He has attitude, class and groove as a singer.

He also has extreme proficiency as a guitarist, particularly showcased in their song So Long. It’s the kind of song that could go down as a rock anthem classic, and the comparison of Kingswood with Led Zeppelin has never been so true as when they play this track live. The guitar lead was insane – despite the comparisons with various other guitarists, Laska has certainly found his own style of guitar playing amongst influences of the greats. It’s hard to comprehend how such a huge sound could be made from just one guitar, a bass and drums, and the use of the vocals of all four band members adds a huge extra dimension to the overall effect.

Having finished with their hit Ohio, it was obvious that there was to be no encore. But cheers and calls from a persistent crowd dragged the band back onstage, who confessed they had not intended on an encore, and they had no more songs to play. After being given the choice between hearing a Fleetwood Mac or Led Zeppelin song, the audience decided on their preference for an impromptu rendition of the latter’s Ramble on.

Kingswood didn’t put a foot wrong all night – not one note, chord or beat was out of place, and Linacre’s ability to scream and thrash out his vocals did not take away at all from his perfectly pitched notes. But this didn’t mean it was a robotic or routine performance, it was full of energy and excitement. With the release of this album, Microscopic Wars, it’s likely they’re going to be big, very soon.