King Of The North @ Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, 23rd Mar ’14

For the second time in a month I find myself descending the stairs into Frankie’s, Sydney’s dark welcoming chasm of obstreperous rock and delectable pizza.

Again I am struck by the stark contrast between the venue and it’s conservative CBD surrounds.

And what a welcome contrast that is.

It is another edition of “Sabbath Sundays” and tonights purveyors of sonic mayhem are Melbourne via Adelaide two piece King Of The North. Midway through a tour to promote their debut album Sound The Underground, Frankie’s was assaulted from the get go with a barrage of noise that felt like it was eminating from a four or five piece.

Set up on the front right of stage, hirsuite drummer Danny Leo commands attention with the perpetual bludgeoning of his kit, whilst vocalist/ guitarist Andrew Higgs riffs about on what appears to be a downtuned guitar utilising a loop pedal to create extra dimensions.

It is easy enough to compare King Of The North to the likes of Black Sabbath (whom they covered) and the spate of Sabbath inspired grunge acts but the band certainly has enough of their own flavour running through the tracks to emerge as a genuinely entertaining live act.

Andrew Higgs’ confident saunter onto the dancefloor to climb and play on a perch above the crowd showed an understanding of showmanship and the lack of a written set indicates a well drilled confident band on top of their game.

As I walked out onto the quiet streets with images of dancing happy people fresh in my mind, I again found myself pondering what a unique and enjoyable experience Frankie’s is and how I must ensure my next visit is in the not too distant future.

Photos: Benon Julius William Otto Koebsch

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Gavin Stocker

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Outside of Across The Ocean Gavin Stocker writes, records and performs music under the moniker of P Truck.

He can also be found clinging to his youth on a skateboard or wandering aimlessly through the bush.