4ZZZ's 40th Birthday Party @ The Old Museum, 04.12.2015

4ZZZ’s 40th Birthday Party @ The Old Museum, 04.12.2015

We’re into the last month of the year and a run of shows that I’m calling Gigmas. Thanks largely to all the Meredith sideshows happening in Brisbane, it’s a crazy nine shows in nine days, just like the good old days at Rave. It makes such a refreshing change to get some festival sideshows, given how music fans in Brisbane normally gets treated.

Today, on the first day of Gigmas, it all kicks off with 4ZZZ’s 40^th birthday party at the Old Museum, featuring sets by Cured Pink, Xero, Monster Zoku Onsumb, Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side, Velociraptor, Blank Realm, and The Leftovers.

It’s that most wonderful of occasions, an early gig, with a 6pm start, the last band starting at 9pm and everything done by 10pm. Given the occasion, the bands playing and the relative cheapness of the night ($20 I think), it’s surprising that it’s not a lot busier that it is. I think it’s one of those events that ebbs and flows, with people popping in for a bit before heading off elsewhere, with the Friday night outdoor markets also providing a distraction away from the bands. It’s ideal for me, however, as it’s only a short walk down the road from work.

It’s my first time at the Old Museum for ages, Owen Pallet might have been the last show I saw here, or maybe it was that infamous Middle East show. The lighting isn’t great, especially in Studio 2, but it’s probably better than the Owen Pallet show, when he played in near darkness. I think it was one of the very few occasions when I didn’t feel comfortable sending Rave photos from the show.

Band of the night goes to Gentle Ben & His Sensitive side, who are as good as ever. It’s probably about time they recorded a new album though (and the same applies to Sixfthick, Gentle Ben’s other band).