The Weather In Sydney isn’t quite welcoming at the moment but that didn’t deter fans like myself from turning up at the Metro Theatre to watch the Ataris play songs from their seminal albums Blue Skies And Broken Heats Next 12 Exits and So Long Astoria.

Kicking off the night was In This Dairy and Unopened Letter to The World. It wasn’t too long into the set when we all get out our singing voices and begin to sing the opening verse to San Dimas High School Football Rules a crowd favourite and mine. The track even had a bit of an impromptu performance as the band slowed the tempo down getting us all real mellow only to explode back into the songs finishing, these are the treats you get from live music.

Before playing the Saddest Song singer Kris Roe stands alone on stage and is opening up about his family experience and what led him to write the song it is a very raw an beautiful performance and as the band join in we all start to sing chorus ‘I remember waiting For you to come Remember waiting For you to call
Remember waiting there to find nothing at all‘.

The Boys Of Summer may not be an Ataris original but it certainly is one of their biggest hits and just hearing it live as that sweet riff comes through the speakers gets the crowd moving and singing along shaking off those winter blues.

Through the set there had been a few equipment malfunctions but instead of chucking a fit Kris stops the set, asks for audience requests saying no to some requests because they are songs he doesn’t like and yes but wait for it they are coming to other requests. So whilst we wait Kris plays a song he wrote for his fiancé, says the songs title is taken from a Charles Bukowski poem it is a very sweet song and one of those rare live music moments. The problem is fixed and they play Summer Of 79 another rare live treat.

They finished off the set with Looking Back On Today and waste no time answering the encore with Eight Out Of Nine which Kris confesses they didn’t play in Brisbane. Right before the very last track for the evening we are encouraged to come over to the merch table and meet the band and maybe buy a vinyl as they had to bring it in their own luggage and then its So Long Astoria.

The Ataris didn’t just turn up an play songs from their records tonight, no the Ataris turned up an rocked the shit out of their songs tonight ! Just hearing these songs live again was like being taken back to a place in time where I was younger and the weather was much brighter, this is one of those true gifts music has to offer.

Review – Chad

Photo Gallery – Christian Ross

Read our interview with singer Kris Roe