Unwritten Law are back in the country on Celebrating 15 years since the release of their huge 2002 LP Elva which is still considered one of their best records to date. Tonight it is Sydney’s turn to hear these San Diego Punk Rockers belt out a couple of Unwritten Law classics. Alright so i knew how much i was into this album all those years ago but as i entered the Manning Bar on this warm summers night i was shocked to see how many others had turned up along side me in celebration of this classic album.
So when a band plays an album show, i guess they haft to make a choice play it track for track or move them around, tonights choice was play it as it was laid out track for track. I had forgotten how this album comes with so many great sing along moments all of which came to life and were some absolute highlights of the night.
From the opening you get we out in the crowd were loving it the feeling of nostalgia was high Mean Girl followed straight into my early twenties war cry Up All Night from then on it is nothing but good vibes of swaying and seeing along and then we hit Blame It On Me gets us old punk rockers moving along more in a mosh sense. When it came time to for the biggest hit off the album, Seein Red it wouldn’t culminate in a frenzied mosh instead those up the front would link arms round each other sway and swing and in unison shout at the tracks end ‘And all i wana hear is your voice’ it was beautiful you just bad to be there. If the feeling of love wasn’t high enough in the room later it would just spill over the top as an audience member got on stage with his girlfriend got down on one knee and proposed to which she said yes and the band played what else but the Rest Of Life, by the time we get to the albums finishing track Evolution it was safe to say we had all had a rocking good time but Unwritten Law were not done with giving us a good time not ye not by a long shot.
Enter the encore well we didn’t really haft to cheer for it as the back drop changes and the the band just walk casually back out on stage with cigarettes in hand an all, they ask of we ready to go home or we want some more ? i guess our response indicated we wanted more. They kick off the 7 song strong encore with Teenage Suicide it invokes an old school response in the crowd as we get busy moving about but i think it was the next track that proved we all still had some gas in the tank as we get rocking even more then before and yell ‘I still feel Lonesome“. If there is one track that always moves me its Cailin i just love that song and i am not alone, the encore finishes with there cover of Grinspoons More Then You Are and we do our patriotic duty and go off. We all thought it was the end but hey were not done we get two more from the classics vault C.P.K and Superman, fuck me what a show this tour is getting round the country fast so get out and catch it whilst you can or regret it.