Overview
Royal Headache may have made history as possibly the first band to have an Opera House gig (almost) shut down by the police, but for the returning kings of the Sydney garage scene it's pretty much exactly what you would expect.
Playing as part of the Repressed Records night for Vivid LIVE this past Saturday night, the band tackled the question of "Can a garage band really work in the Opera House?" with their typically riotous and joyful gig ending abruptly when security and NSW police responded to thirty or more fans who had jumped the stage, promptly shutting down the gig.
Returning for their first hometown gig in more than two years, Royal Headache’s Vivid excursion to the Opera House (despite ending dramatically) is part of a commendable, if perhaps too-vaguely researched, experiment by the Opera House to open their doors to a different kind of Sydney scene.
Audience members were free to wander in and out of the Joan Sutherland Theatre throughout the night — one doorwoman adeptly noted to ticketholders, "This isn’t the symphony." An excellent array of cross-genre bands took the stage, handpicked by those legends of independent music sellers, Repressed Records. Ranging from the eclectic ensemble of Snake and Friends (headed by Al Montfort from Dick Diver) to the blissful spotlight performance of solo pianist Monica Brooks, it was incredible to see such a diverse and original group of local performers alight the grand stage of the Opera House.
In many ways, when Royal Headache took the stage, it felt like this was the stage they've always deserved. As a band that has always been more accustomed to playing in small local bars or literally in a garage out the back of their house, lead singer Shogun's vocals and energy have always seemed bigger than any space could fully contain. His charisma radiated venue-wide, as he paced rapidly back and forth across the stage quashing any question that the band might be overwhelmed by the cavernous space.
Starting the performance with some more soulful songs from Royal Headache’s yet to be released second and final album, Shogun gave a typically raw and open performance — shirt off by the second song and channelling that patented and ever-endearing pessimism, drawing our attention to the "negative sweat" he was soaked in and unashamedly admitting when a song messed up.
By the second song, people were on their feet, and by the third? Up on the plush red seats and in the aisles. With the opening chords of 'Down the Lane' — a crowd favourite and possibly their most complete song — the energy in the room peaked and fans began clambering onto the stage to surround Shogun in the mad crush Royal Headache gigs are known for.
Followed quickly by the rapid-fire chords and hardcore vocals of 'Girls' (a personal favourite), a crowd of thirty or more fans found a manic — but certainly not destructive — tipping point, and despite one fan clambering on the kick drum and few water bottles being thrown, the only worries were what could only be incredibly expensive Opera House speakers embedded in the stage tripping up the feet of avid dancers.
In what seemed like lightning speed (most likely helped by the ramped up police presence for Vivid), around twenty NSW police and Opera House security guards had appeared to escort fans offstage. The mood in the room quickly turned, with a disgruntled Shogun trying to move the band offstage, muttering into the mic what sounded like "Thank you and goodnight, I don't want to see my friends punched in the head by a bunch of fucking pigs. Take it easy."
With the crowd back in the aisles and starting up a chant of "Let them play," the band eventually returned to the stage and were allowed to play a final song; although some fans were discontented by their choice to end on their cover of Womack & Womack's 'Teardrops'.
Despite the rapid response of security, when asked, members of the NSW Police, Opera House security and staff on the door all expressed their surprise at the turn of events. One NSW police officer commented that the venue was "probably not" expecting fans to get as rowdy as they did, while an Opera House security member firmly stated that such behaviour was "not allowed" and that those involved in the performance had been informed beforehand that such behaviour would not be tolerated. Someone forgot to give the memo to the audience though, with most fans expressing annoyance that behaviour typical of any Royal Headache gig was dealt with such a heavy hand.
While the night might seem to have settled the question of whether garage bands are suited to the grand, but strictly monitored venue of the Opera House, it would be a shame to think that this event would prevent a champion of the local alternative scene like Repressed Records from bringing new and non-mainstream talent back into the Opera House in the future. This experiment might seem to have failed, but one hopes that events like Vivid can find ways to continue to bring young alternative performers together with the grand Sydney stages they so deserve.
Watch the stage invasion here:
Images: Prudence Upton.