Oamaru is a town morbidly obsessed with its own past, suffocating the life from the young who cry out for want of a good time. But every now and then, an event comes along which jolts the decaying corpse of Oamaru back into a semblance of life. One such event was February 7th, when the bands Special Neadz, Made in China and Osmium converged on the sleepy town to give the disillusioned youth a taste of that which they crave – music to torture the Victorian ancestors in their graves.
First up on stage was Special Neadz, a band hailing from the murky underworld of Oamaru itself. Not only do these guys look the part of metalhead miscreants set to churn up the monastic quiet of this town, but they also sound like it. Their riffs are heavy, their lyrics catchy and the music overall is, well, fun – in an antagonistic, up -you kind of way
Next up was Osmium, a band from Invercargill which has just toured the country with their heavy chugging style of metal laced with venom. Their dedication to their music shows in their performance, and is appreciated by the audience, particularly by the deranged groupies rocking out in flannel. By the end of the set, the necks of diehard fans were pleading for relief from the compulsory head banging.
But they recovered quickly as Made in China took the stage. This band is another favourite, with their mellower mix of grungy heavy rock – more cruisy than eye-gouging. These guys come together with their sound well as a band, even with the threat of a microphone stand flying in their faces as the lead vocalist entertains the crowd with his delinquent antics.
The night ended with one fan close to collapsing – it just isn’t a good night until at least one person is left in such a state. As the town of Oamaru settles back into its stupor, we wait and hope that brutal salvation will rescue us from our boredom again soon.
Sharmaine.