The home of heavy music in Sydney has to be The Bald Face Stag in Annandale and tonight they are just reaffirming that fact with 90’s alternative hard rock group Saliva who are touring our shores for their first time ever. We can expect tonight to be a raw, ears bleeding, crushing showcase of hard rock.

The crowd has been warmed up good by the opening, but the crowd are eager for these American rock prophets to deliver the goods they are renowned for. Saliva waste no time taking to the stage and letting things rip with Ladies and Gentlemen. The growling dusty vocals of frontman Bobby Amaru sound outstanding as they move things right along with Superstar a perfect match of gritty vocals over meaty guitar riffs on top of pounding drums. It is a perfect recipe for the crowd to raise their devil horns high, keep them raised, and throw their bodies back and forth.

The night wouldn’t be sweaty bodies colliding though as the band take a break and leave frontman Bobby alone on stage with his acoustic, wanting to give us Aussie fans a special treat in a massive sing-along moment. We raised our voices high as he dazzled us with amazing covers of such songs like Phil Collins’ In The Air Of The Night, Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time, Silverchair’s Tomorrow and a big finale of Nickelback’s Hero. With the sing-along over it was time to end things big and big they did, delivering their best-known hits Click Click Boom and Your Disease.

Tonight down at the Stag we raised some hell. The Stag may be a venue small in size but the output of energy tonight was enormous, Saliva would lay the tracks down and we would keep motherfucker bouncing one hell of a night of hard rock. Let’s hope they head on back sometime soon.

Review – Chad

Photo Gallery – Christian Ross