Australian music legends, Kisschasy, set Sydney’s The Roundhouse alight on Saturday, June 14th with the Hymns For The New Believers Tour — an explosive set boasting their very best from the early 2000s to today. One surefire way to win over a Sydney crowd is to play off the long held rivalry between us and Melbourne, Victoria. Singer Darren Cordeux, from the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, did just that by saying, “We’ve adopted Sydney as our home and we are officially Sydney-siders now.”
After departing from the music scene in 2015, Kisschasy have heard our pleas loud and clear and are back with long awaited new music. If the roar of the crowd during their new single “Lie To Me” was anything to go by, it’s clear to see these guys still have that magic. A magic which is hard to cultivate organically these days when music is so readily available. There is something special going on with Kisschasy and there always has been. However, with singer Darren Cordeux moving from Victoria to Los Angeles, it’s clear that the musical connection this band shares can surpass the ocean between them.
This show was celebrating their 2007 album Hymns For The Nonbeliever, which turns 18 years old next month. Kisschasy powered through the album from front to back as though no time had passed at all since they were playing tiny venues in rural leagues clubs back in 2007 and 2008, when I had my first opportunity to check them out. Rarely played songs worth a special mention include “Tiny Plastic Cup,” “Dissolution,” and my personal favourite track of theirs, “My Bible Is A Scrapbook,” which was worth the ticket price on its own, to be perfectly honest. The cohesion felt between the four members of the band resonated loudly with the audience. The energy they poured into their performance was matched by the pit which featured many people sitting on shoulders, a circle pit of regret (we are over 30 now), and even a rogue bra thrown on stage.
The band then treated us to a set of their greatest hits, which is no easy feat after performing a high intensity album cover to cover. The crowd lapped up every second of songs like “Face Without A Name” and “This Bed.” I looked around me and saw parents there with their teenage children, and it made my heart soar to think of all the “New Believers” Kisschasy had converted during this show, reminding us that, “We are a movement but we will never be a scene!” The band are constantly evolving and creating music that they enjoy and hope it hits home with listeners.
Kisschasy are ready and armed with a new 9-song album that will be announced soon. During the show, they remarked that perhaps we will all be back here in another 18 years to commemorate this new album’s imprint on the world. However far away it may be, I think I speak for all of Australia when I say, we can’t bloody wait.
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All photos appear courtesy of Megan Juliet for Honorable Mention Magazine