Tastes Like Rock Magazine

Shim and Emma interacted with the crowd continually throughout their set, Shim more so in between lighthearted but earnest barbs at the light guy to cut the strobe before Shim fell “the fuck off the stage”. When not contending with the too close and obnoxious light rig, Shim's main point of interaction was to keep the crowd pumped and to bring out the excitement that had slid into a silent awe of the band after the initial roar of cheers to the band's entrance to the small but well appointed stage of the Main Gate. At first the effort seemed only to elicit excitement from the three band mates, but as their set progressed it became easier to engage the mob of fans in front of the stage and throughout the club even bringing the stragglers near the second bar at the top rear of the club to the forefront.

Sick Puppies came together in 1997 while Shim and Emma were still in high school in Mosman in the New South Wales area of Australia. Bonding over their mutual love of the band Silverchair they went on to perform Green Day, Silverchair, and Rage Against The Machine songs together in the school music room with Shim playing drums and Emma on guitars before taking their playing together to the next level by writing original songs. Later joined by former member Chris Mileski on drums, Shim switched to guitar and lead vocals, and Emma moved to bass and backing vocals and Sick Puppies was officially born. This eventually led to the band producing their debut EP Dog's Breakfast.

By the end of the band's set the nightclub was pulsing with energy from the crowd which broke loose in a chant of  “one more song!” until Sick Puppies obliged with not one, not two, but a three song encore! At the end of which Shim addressed the attendees with gratitude repeatedly for coming out before Emma and Mark threw picks and sticks into the crowd. After this there was an exclusive meet and greet for people that purchased merch before the show and were awarded Golden Tickets that gave them access to the meet and greet and the ability to get their purchases autographed by Shim, Emma, and Mark at the merchandise table near the back of the club's dance floor. Interjecting an editorial for a moment, this is a much better way of holding meet and greets. Rather than a select few that can afford to dole out $500+ dollars, this method gives everyone a chance to be able to score a quick hello and an autograph from their favorite band. If the bands performance wasn't enough to convert this writer from a casual fan of their singles that have received radio play, to an actual fan that wants to keep up with the trio and catch future shows as well as add their discography to my personal music collection; the methodology for the meet and greet along with the members' down to earth interactions with their fans, my photogapher and myself included, definitely did.

In closing, these three Aussies put on one hell of a show and finished winning over this writer, longtime fan and TLR photographer Jessica Beharry earned a “you were right, they are awesome” from me. From performance to fan interaction to personalities, the Sick Puppies are winners and put on the best show this writer has seen all year. Once more, Sick Puppies is Shim Moore on guitar and lead vocals, Emma Anzai on bass and backing vocals, and Mark Goodwin on drums and backing vocals. Visit their website, shared above, for more on the band, do yourself a favor and pick up Connect from their website or at a local record store near you. You won't be disappointed.