Review: SHIHAD @ The Gov 13/02/25
Alt-rockers SHIHAD put on a career retrospective for their final Adelaide gig, cementing their legacy as one of New Zealand’s greatest exports.
Words by Will Oakeshott // Images by Danny Wallace
SHIHAD w/Battlesnake & Pelvis @ The Gov 13/02/25
“Everything looks more beautiful in retrospect.” – Michelle Monaghan.
One could only imagine how guitarist/vocalist Jon Toogood, guitarist Phil Knight, bassist Karl Kippenberger and drummer Tom Larkin felt as they embarked on their farewell tour for the long-running alternative hard rock outfit Shihad. Almost certainly they will reflect on their 36 (plus) year career with elation, and this was undeniably exemplified by the sold-out crowd screaming back their iconic lyrics at The Governor Hindmarsh at their final Adelaide performance.
The significant characteristic of this entire extravaganza was the “retrospective” element – because as much as this finale was for the Wellington quartet, it was more so for their devotees. The memories they have of Shihad and how their live shows and music altered and improved their lives; as the above statement from Golden Globe-nominated actress Michelle Monaghan so eloquently describes. In retrospect, on this vivid summer evening in Adelaide, everything seemed more beautiful. Even if it was an event to essentially say ‘goodbye’.
Adelaide trio Pelvis were presented with the honourable role of the opening act for this incredible showcase and were clearly ecstatic about the opportunity. Although the early start caused a smaller audience to witness the three-piece’s self-proclaimed “soft doom” formula, their energy was not dampened one iota in their execution. Opener ‘I Still Think God Is A Guy, Sorry’ was an excellent eruption of post-punk with an injection of Bikini Kill intensity. ‘Peach Juice’ had a striking balance of sweet and sour in its jangly Riot Grrrl alternative punk, and both ‘It Ain’t Much But It's Honest Work’ and ‘Really Good Grades’ moved between delightful drone rock that would impress Black Sabbath, to a punked-up noisecore of brilliant new wave discordance. ‘Wonderwall By Pelvis’ escalated the passion of the exhibition and remarkably fused elements of Royal Blood with Ladyhawke. ‘Ooo Yes Baby Lie To Me Again Harder’ was simply put, grunge greatness.
The fantastically fierce ‘Boyzzzz’ bolstered the crowd size, as well as magnetised the onlookers to such a level that they seemed scared to blink. Closer ‘Citizen’s Arrest’ was a charmingly refined display of rock. Even with technical difficulties, Pelvis presented themselves as having the time of their lives when they played live. It was above infectious and Adelaide is certainly very lucky to have this outfit call our city home.
Sydney’s Battlesnake are not a band that one solely watches – they experience a movement. The outfit entered the stage in ritualistic cloaks while a Gregorian chant played and sparkler cannons exploded. From that moment forward there was only one aura that was extraordinarily put on display, and that was ‘opulence’. Undoubtedly, this was expressed in a fantastic methodology.
It is difficult to describe the musical output that Battlesnake compose as it is delectably diverse; Tenacious D, KISS, GWAR, Judas Priest, AC/DC and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard could be cited as influences, but this is only a fraction of what is incorporated (the Keytar is a very glamorous addition).
The members strengthened the outstanding oddities with their fabulous fashion; keytarist Billy O’Key looked like a long-lost member of The Beach Boys and Ben Frank neared a Frank Zappa clone and it was flawlessly suiting.
‘I Am The Vomit’ had a stellar fuzz-desert rock grandeur with excessive and magnificent antics. ‘The Key Of Solomon’ was a superb fusion of Red Fang, Queen and Pentagram, then ‘The Atomic Plough’ took it one step further with the thrashier parts of Anthrax. The marvellous mutant that is ‘Nightmare King’ closed the presentation which morphed into AC/DC’s ‘Let There Be Rock’ in an all-out display of whacky musical lunacy.
Ben Frank was piggy-backed through the capacity crowd atop keytarist Billy O’Key, vocalist Sam Frank stripped down to just his tighty-whiteys but continued to stick his tongue out in psychotic snake fashion, and all the entirety of The Governor Hindmarsh could do was bask in the glory that was Battlesnake.
READ MORE: Review: Amyl and the Sniffers @ Hindley St Music Hall 16/02/25
At this juncture, The Gov was beyond full of rock’n’roll enthusiasts and vision of the stage had become exceedingly difficult. An immeasurable tension continued to build as the countdown for the globally adored trailblazing four-piece known as Shihad seemed to cause time to stand still. When it approached breaking point, the lights dimmed and the cheers emanated to a deafening level. Four Wellingtonian gentlemen took to the historic venue’s platform for one last cyclonic spectacle with a resplendent orchestral soundtrack as their induction. The pummelling ‘Tear Down Those Names’ thumped and thrilled Adelaide into submission – we were now putty in Jon Toogood, Phil Knight, Karl Kippenberger and Tom Larkin’s collective hands and we did not want it to end.
“How the fuck are you?” Mr Toogood screamed down the microphone as the quartet illustriously glided into the emotionally charged ‘Feel The Fire’. This honestly felt like a slightly peculiar choice for the early chapter of the show, assuredly though the track was a belter. It was then explained that Shihad was going to travel back through their entire discography, playing favourites from each record. The idea of perfection is rather impractical, but for their grand finale, this was the best description of what the quartet were going to deliver.
Returning to the haymaker tunes, the bouncing ‘Think You’re So Free’ had the crowd bustling. “Tonight is going to be fucking awesome!” Jon bellowed in elation as the rockers stormed into the stomper that is ‘Cheap As’ for the first time in Adelaide, making a very appreciated insulting joke towards Elon Musk. ‘Sleepeater’ ventured into post-punk territory with heart-rendering bass and percussive experimentations, then ‘Ignite’ brought about a reality check that this breathtaking ballad harnessed additional emotional gravity as it was to be Shihad’s last South Australian dance. ‘One Will Hear The Other’ became that alluring anthem of positivity and ‘Beautiful Machine’ illuminated this further with its incredible indie-pop flirtations.
“Who has seen Shihad before?” was yelled as a terrific example of the band’s sense of humour and endearing charisma. ‘Empty Shell’ provoked the audience to move similarly to an ocean undergoing hectic tidal movements and ‘Alive’ boosted this to a degree of hysteria. The theatrical ‘Comfort Me’ incited a thunderous sing-along and ‘Everything’ returned to that heartfelt sentiment that ‘Ignite’ had done so well.
‘Bullitproof’ and ‘My Minds Sedate’ enhanced the atmosphere to crazed levels of moshing vibrancy, and the much adored, ‘The General Electric’, carried a sincere radiance that increased everything about this demonstration’s significance. ‘Pacifier’ and ‘Only Time’ offered some reprieve until ‘Ghost From The Past’ amplified the entirety of the showcase immensely, again. ‘You Again’, ‘Bitter’ and ‘Factory’ were fantastically ferocious and the departing fireworks of Shihad’s arsenal. The four-piece also thanked Adelaide extensively and recalled their first visits to our fine city with the beloved local heroes The Mark Of Cain.
Was that to be it? ‘Don’t Get The Wrong Idea’…
The four-piece returned for a required encore beginning with ‘Run’ that instigated “the hard-rock choir” at The Gov to belt out that memorable chorus. A cover of Split Enz’s ‘I Got You’ created a party ambience before, ‘I Only Said’, counteracted this with a spectacular darker tone. There was only one song that could conclude this curtain call, the legendary ‘Home Again’ and that live rendition will live in each fan’s hearts and souls for as long as humanly possible.
“Everything looks more beautiful in retrospect.”
On this night, it unquestionably did. Thank you for ‘Everything’ Shihad.
Check out the full gallery of images from Shihad’s final gig at The Gov here.
