Sticky Fingers, (known to fans as ‘STIFI’) have accrued a following that is overwhelming – they’ve managed to bring their psychedelic-rock-reggae style to the masses, and with great success. Impressively, both Canberra shows of their Land of Pleasure album tour were sold out. The Thursday night at Transit Bar was packed with die-hard fans all eager to get a taste of what STIFI had to offer.

The first support act was a man with an acoustic guitar and a LOT of long curly hair. He seemed familiar, and before long it was revealed that he was Gumby, the front man of Newcastle band Benjalu. He filled in at the last minute for a few shows, as he was heading South at the same time as the STIFI tour. His vocals were strong as he smashed out both originals and some amazing renditions of Tracy Chapman and Rodriguez songs. His guitar filled the room as Transit Bar started to fill up with people.

It was established early on that long wavy hair would be the theme of the night, along with the surf/reggae vibe of all bands on the bill. Bootleg Rascal was no exception. They showcased crisp guitar, feature keyboards and solid bass lines (particularly displayed in their cover of The Police’s Walking on the Moon).

From the first word sung by Sticky Fingers, it was obvious that they were the band people were there for. The audience knew every word, forming an uplifting backing chorus to all songs played. The stage was framed by LED lights that flashed in red, blue and green adding an extra visual aspect and further enhancing the already fun vibe.

The crowd consisted mostly of young people, and it would be fair to say that they could lay claim to being some of STIFI’s biggest fans. It was impossible to not feel happy with the uplifting songs and the positive vibes amongst the audience.

Caress Your Soul provided a high level of energy, with people climbing on each other’s shoulders, swaying to the melodies. All hands were in the air, responding to the guitar riffs that soared out over everyone.

While the music provided ups-and-downs in terms of drive and emotion, the enthusiasm did not lessen at any point, and everyone rode the waves of stadium anthems, and psychedelic reggae, entirely wrapped up in the music. Every song elicited a very specific reaction from the crowd – from going absolutely crazy, to chilling happily with the back-beat sound that typifies STIFI’s reggae sound.

Sticky Fingers left the stage, but there was no doubt they would return, as their encore would obviously feature their seminal song Australia Street. After the chants of ‘one more song’, STIFI returned with the enjoyable How to Fly. All in attendance waited with frantic excitement, and once the first chords of Australia Street was heard, the whole room exploded with energy, and Transit Bar turned into a club, with the whole crowd pulsating as one.

It was a perfect ending to a very enjoyable night.