Live Review: Southern River Band at the Rosemount
Southern River Band is one of those bands you have to see in person to truly appreciate their genius. They write classic rock songs with riffs that stick in your head, rolling around in there with an anthemic quality that won't quit. But it’s on stage that they really shine, with a joyfully energetic set that makes you glad to be alive. The creative force behind all this rock goodness is Cal Kramer, Thornlie boy making good - although, as his dad says, he still lives at home.
Building a solid fan base since 2015, there were plenty of t-shirts attesting to their popularity at the Rosemount on Saturday night, as the 6108 crowd came out to farewell the boys before a whirlwind Eastern States tour. Supported ably by a wailing and melancholic Matt Sevier, the languid, don’t-give-a-fuck attitude of HUSSY and a polished set from Spacey Jane, by 10:30 the crowd was primed for some SRB theatrics.
Not one to disappoint, Cal entered the stage on a pantomime horse, glamming it up in a white pant suit that has become his go-to stage outfit. His fringed jacket is off within the first 2 songs, but despite repeated calls to take his trousers off they thankfully stay firmly put during the entirety of the show.
He instead works the audience, sharing rambling stories of the minutiae of his day while throwing back bourbon, before launching into their latest single, 'Cigarettes (Ain’t Helping Me None)'. Their Zeppelin influenced rifs are eminently danceable - and I defy anyone to listen to 'Chasing After Love (I‘ll Burn a Hole in Your Shoes)' and not immediately get themselves to the nearest dancefloor. Crowd favourite 'One of These Nights (I’ll Be Gone)' closed out the night, in a moment that called for the post-smoking-era equivalent of lighters waving in the air.
