It was a night full of surprises when veteran punk rockers Unwritten Law finally made it back to Adelaide after postponing their Australian tour in April, playing a high energy set of old favourites to an eager crowd of long-time fans. The term “Dad Punk” was being thrown around in jest prior to arriving, before I realised that the support act was none other than lead singer Scott Russo’s daughter Cailin Russo, not only solidifying the concept but putting an entirely bizarre spin on the night. Going in I had no idea what to expect from this emerging artist’s act but that did not hinder my shock and confusion when she started her set with a style and sound entirely left field from what you would imagine for a punk show. Nonetheless, it was a memorable and almost comical night and considering not much surprises me these days I was coloured very entertained by the whole ordeal.
Starting off the show with a burst of punk, groove and pub rock energy, the Adelaide boys in hi-vis, Violet Harlot played a loud and animated set with some impressive stage chemistry. Playing a handful of tracks from their debut EP Violet Harlot in Viz including 2022 single Demon Girl the boys put on an entertaining show, lead vocalist Will Everett bouncing around the stage in an almost slapstick fashion and exhibiting a comical energy that seems to set these guys apart from the other local outfits of the same genre.
After being thoroughly impressed by the first band on the bill, Cailin Russo took the stage, and it was confusing to say the least. As mentioned, I went in with no expectations and admittedly I had not done my homework, but I had assumed the set would blend in with the punk theme of the night, perhaps a shouty girl rock acoustic set or something at least alternative. I assumed wrong. Cailin Russo, the namesake of the famous and well-known Unwritten Law song from their breakthrough 1998 self-titled album, showcased a bizarre blend of edgy lo-fi electronic pop in front of a backdrop of outlandish editorial style risqué footage of her- mostly in a bikini. If that sounds completely far left from what this show was supposed to be about then you can imagine my shock at the whole thing.
It was so far from what one would expect at a punk show, I honestly thought she was being ironic and it was some kind of performance art geared at catching the audience off guard (and apart from a handful of fans that knew her songs, a lot of us were) Cailin managed to weave her tour promoting her new album INFLUX with her Father’s which I suppose isn’t the worst idea, but it was definitely an experience I won’t forget anytime soon and I don’t shock easily. Regardless of the obvious misplaced genre and style and mass confusion in the room, she kept the audience engaged, put her all into her performance and did a very good job of amping people up. I really felt that she would have done much better at the recent Spin Off Festival alongside artists of the same vein, Benee and Tove Lo.
Finally, Unwritten Law hit the stage and the venue went off. Another wild card for me having been following the ails of front man Scott Russo, from his unfortunate arrest to subsequent cancelled shows earlier in the year, I had hoped that they were going to sound and perform as well as I remember them. I’m so pleased to say they did, and the energy and showmanship was enormous, Russo sounding as good as he ever has. The rest of the evening was a ripper success with all the bangers such as Seein’ Red, Lonesome and Cailin while audience members danced and sang with their small children, most likely also named Cailin.
There was a small interlude of Russo doing acoustic versions of Save Me and Rest of My Life before his daughter joined him onstage for a rock cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Little Lies. The most notable track of the night was an outstanding cover of Grinspoon’s More Than You Are, Russo’s homage to his favourite country which was received with hysteria. Apart from the strange line up exhibiting a somewhat unsettling shift in genre, it was a great night and the best I have seen Unwritten Law perform in a long time. Good vibes, happy people, happy music and lots of singing and dancing. I guess I just missed the memo that we were meant to bring our kids as well, artists included.
Live Review By Bec Scheucher