Buffalo Tom + Screamfeeder

Bill Janovitz

They say that time flies when you’re having fun. Whether or not this is true, time definitely has flown since the last time that I saw Buffalo Tom, (which from memory was in London at the LA2 in November 1999) let alone the first time that I saw them back in the early 1990s at The Riverside in Newcastle.

When the tables and chairs are on display towards the front of The Zoo it is usually a sign that it’s a quiet night. However, there was quiet a healthy mid-week crowd in (which made having a load of tables and chairs near the front of the room more problematic…), although not sold out. There have been a few posts on the Mess+Noise message board about the tour and about how there seemed to be a real lack of promotion from the tour, with this apparently being a regular trait of the promoter in question. I was glad I was there and had a great night, but it’s just a shame that they weren’t playing to the full-house they deserve to be playing to.

Whilst nostalgia is a powerful and alluring sentiment, and increasingly being played on by the music industry, watching Buffalo Tom play you can’t help but feel that if a group of 20-somethings released a bunch of songs as good as theirs in today’s musical scene that they would be universally acclaimed and be all over the radio and the music press.

However, sadly, when you’re a bunch of 40-somethings the industry pays a lot less attention. Whilst the set played heavy on their back catalogue, especially 1992’s ‘Let Me Come Over’, new songs from last year’s ‘Three Easy Pieces’ show that they haven’t lost the knack for coming up with hook-laden, 3 ½ minute pop songs.

Hopefully it won’t be a nine year wait between albums next time, and hopefully they’ll be back and playing to the size of audience they deserve soon.

More photos on flickr.

Buffalo Tom
Bill Janovitz

Chris Coulburn

Brisbane Set List (much changed during the gig...)

Bill Janovitz

Screamfeeder
Kellie Lloyd

Screamfeeder

Screamfeeder

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