Screamfeeder, Adalita @ Jive, Adelaide 11/6/2022
Jive was well and truly buzzing with an electric atmosphere in anticipation of what was to come in celebrating Screamfeeder’s new album Five Rooms. There are some bands where it feels like you have boarded a time machine and gone right back to the first time you’ve have seen them. This rings true for Screamfeeder having seen them for the first time New Year’s Day 1999 at the Crown Hotel at Victor Harbour with You Am I. Ever since then I’ve been a big fan and follow their career with keen interest.
It was great to see Adalita in solo mode, a real treat given Magic Dirt were only here last month, playing mostly songs from her solo album plus a couple of surprises. Opening with I Want Your Love it was the Magic Dirt b-side Gap from the Locket single that was a nice surprise. Trust Is Rust and Hot Air followed Private Feeling and Equations. Adalita spoke fondly of meeting Screamfeeder back in the day in the 90s, wanting to escape the rat race in Melbourne and wanting to live in Adelaide and exciting talk of a new album then finishing her set with a stellar version of Blue Sky.
Screamfeeder were fantastic and having played Melbourne the night before they were firing on all fours and sounded tight. Opening with Late To The Party and Above The Dove. Tim Steward was pumped and seemed relieved saying “after two years of trying, we did it!” Not even a broken string threw him off his game. Another new tune in Day Crew was followed by a valiant attempt by Kellie Lloyd to wow the crowd with a bit of French before rocking their way through Down The Drinker from Kitten Licks. Break It Clean and Around A Pole were superb as was current single Don’t Get Me Started. The band looked a bit puzzled and not sure if the building alarm went off in Sushi Bowl.
Their set had a really good blend of old and new but when the band ventured in to familiar territory they did go a bit nuts for tracks such as Bunny, Triple Hook and Static. Kellie asked the crowd not to say anything but Adelaide is their favourite city. Not surprising because there’s plenty of love for Screamfeeder here. Oh my God! How good was Dart? Brilliant! Kellie thanked the crowd for sticking around for a “thirty billion years” and said they wouldn’t walk off and come back for an encore. New tune Deidre was a ripper but Hi C’s sent the crowd in to hyperdrive. The last song of the night was only worked out in soundcheck as they hadn’t played it in “30,000 years”. Joining the band Adalita emerged from backstage to sing lead vocals on Wrote You Off, magic, hopefully someone shares the footage of this one. Great night, hopefully it isn’t another two years before Screamfeeder return.
Live Review By Rob Lyon