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Music

Golden Plains Proved Eddy Current Suppression Ring Still Has Australian Rock by the Throat

The Melbourne four-piece return to the stage for the first time in six years and prove that they remain the Best Rock Band in Australia.

Image: Joel Smith

This article originally appeared on Noisey Australia.

There were two things we learned at the 10th annual Golden Plains Festival this past weekend in Australia: Eddy Current Suppression Ring remain an amazingly popular band, and they can also still shred. With singer Brendan Huntley held aloft on people’s shoulders while the band ripped through a set of hits on Sunday night, it was easy to see why they became, and remain, one of Australia’s most loved rock bands ever.

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And it wasn’t just Huntley with a cheeky grin. Bearded guys clutching their umpteenth beer of the night, groups in gold face paint, young families wearing matching sets of ear protection, security guards bopping their heads, a woman sitting on her friend’s shoulders topless—everybody wore smiles.

It’s been six years since the Melbourne four-piece last stepped onto a stage, and a decade since they headlined the first Golden Plains. But there were times during their Sunday night set when it felt like they’d never left.

Earlier in the weekend Tyrannaman and Royal Headache, two Australian bands heavily influenced by Eddy Current, played on a lineup that also included US rap star Freddie Gibbs, Sleater-Kinney, and festival stalwarts Violent Femmes. But come primetime all attention was on the four guys from Frankston.

Huntley, wearing his signature black gloves, paced and prowled the stage, guitarist Mikey Young was rock solid, save for the occasional knee jerk and smirk. Bassist Brad Barry brought an element of funk, and drummer Danny Young attacked the kit in a way that can only be described as “punk.” It all worked together, and they blew minds.

The band owned the audience from the beginning. As they lead from “Cool Icecream” into “Memory Lane,” the opening track off their 2008 album Primary Colours, everyone was singing or at least mouthing the lyrics, “I took a walk down memory lane, Where everything looked quite the same. People smiled people waved. They told me ‘bout the road they paved.” This was short term memory recovery, and it felt good.

They delivered with their hits including “Precious Rose,” “Which Way to Go,” and “Wrapped Up in You.” Huntley was loving it. He took a lie down during “Rush to Relax” while the big screen side of stage showed close up of Mikey’s guitar shredding. It was like an oversize YouTube tutorial on “How to Be One of the Best Guitarist In the Word.” I know people who would pay money to watch Mikey play guitar all day. At one point Brad’s Goldentone amp blew out but Mikey was able to improvise and drag the track out so nobody noticed.

Bands don’t usually get encores at music festivals but Eddy Current Suppression Ring aren’t just any band. After they closed their set with “Get Up Morning” there were deafening bays for more. They returned with “I Admit My Faults” and the crowd was straight back to delirium.