The Southern River Band, Kitchen Witch @ UniBar, Adelaide 18/10/2025
A balmy spring evening is the backdrop to tonight’s rock show at the Uni Bar and it’s good to see a decent crowd in the cloisters early enjoying some daylight savings pre-show delights.
Kicking off proceedings tonight are Adelaide four-piece Kitchen Witch who bring their unique brew of desert rock with sides of classic rock, grunge and doom metal to the table. With the volume knobs turned all the way up to eleven, they power through their set as singer Georgie shepherds the songs with her ethereal voice, channelling 70’s rock legends Janice Joplin and Robert Plant. The bass is low and sludgy, the drums are thunderous, and guitarist Conor blends the heavy with the psychedelic, making every use of the array of effects pedals at his feet. It’s a complex sound without being pretentious, and often brutally heavy, yet fun. The brooding Glitch and the cosmic journey of Rosemary are both highlights that round out their set.
With a brand new LP Easier Said Than Done officially released yesterday, and with a recent tour history as long as a grocery receipt at Christmas, there’s a real wave of momentum behind The Southern River Band (SRB) right now.
Opening their set with newbies Don’t Take it To Heart and Bad Luck Baby, Bye Bye, it’s clear SRB are one of those bands intent on having as much, if not more, than the crowd they’re playing to.
Singer/guitarist Cam is as entertaining a frontman as you’ll find, and what he lacks in shirt he more than makes up for in hair and charisma – the hilarious banter and anecdotes keeping the energy up between songs, even if sometimes he’s not sure where he should stop.
Swinging blues rock numbers Watch Yourself (You’re Gonna Hurt Somebody) and Chasing After Love (I’ll Burn a Hole in Your Shoes) are the perfect rock’n’roll dancefloor fillers, getting a plethora of hips shaking and heads swivelling around the room.
There’s no shortage of Australian rock bands in 2025 that seem to have the look and the attitude down pat, but the most important question is always, do they have the songs? In the case of SRB the answer is: hell yeah. And it sure helps when legends of the Australian music scene trust you with theirs, the Bernard Fanning-penned earworm No Such Time has the potential to be the biggest Australian rock hit in years.
Things get a little heavier towards the end of the set with the jagged Vice City III and the epic rock voyage of Stan Qualen, before SRB close out their main set with the sentimental One of These Nights (I’ll Be Gone).
The encore features crowd favourites Fuck You Pay me and Vice City II, ensuring a loud and raucous end to the night, with both crowd and band eager to party into the wee hours of the morning.
Shredding solos, heavy riffs, swinging melodies, gracious harmonies – with a bit of cheek thrown in to boot – these boys from Thornlie, WA do Aussie rock just right. It’s clear to see why things are looking north for The Southern River Band.
Live Review By Matt Eygenraam