Bad Dreams @ The Corner, Richmond - 10/6/17

Bad//Dreems. The Corner in Richmond. A blisteringly cold Saturday Melbourne night. No more context is needed. It was set to be a loose gig, and it was. 

Bad//Dreems, the singlet wearing, beer drinking, stage diving four piece from Adelaide sold out The Corner, in Richmond with relative ease. The second last show of there Australian ‘Gutful’ tour, they were supported by Brisbane lads, The Creases and local Melbourne band Floyd Cox. When first told that The Creases would be supporting Bad//Dreems on there Australian tour I thought it was a strange mix; The Creases are a touch more poppy and clean cut, whereas the Bad//Dreems boys are chaotic Rock and Roll with songs about bogans and lyrics about big muscles pumping out of sweatshirts. However the mix definitely worked, with the strange juxtaposition almost heightening Bad//Dreems set. It was packed, and if you were lucky enough to be standing anywhere within five metres of the stage you were likely to cop anything from a stray kick in the face from the frontman to a sly elbow in the back of the head from your mate. It was chaos in the crowd, and it was chaos on the stage. In amongst the chaos though was good, well written, catchy Rock and Roll music.
 
One of the coolest moments of the set was when Bad//Dreems were joined on stage by one of the members dads who played a saxophone for two or three songs. This fresh old geezer (for lack of a better description) was shredding on a saxophone, while his son and sons mates played a monumental set to a sold out crowd at one of the larger venues in Melbourne.
 
‘Gutful’, Bad//Dreems newest album is a little less jangley, and a touch more crunchy than there first album. They address issues happening in Australia and around the globe, particularly in their title track ‘Gutful’ with lyrics such as; “Had a gutful of your racist jokes, had a gutful of Australia Day, had a gutful of the USA” etc etc. They also have a few more traditionally pop influenced numbers such as 'By My Side'. If you like energetic Pub Rock, with political themes and big choruses then you might just love ‘Gutful’.
 
Reviewer - Jack Davison