My Top 10 Gigs of 2005: #1

#1 - Hot Hot Heat (with Faker), Prince of Wales, November
I'd suggested seeing Hot Hot Heat as I'd heard a few of their songs, but it wasn't until an additional few shows with Faker as support that I found someone to come along with me. In the week before the show, I increasingly enjoyed listening to their first album Make Up The Breakdown and the half of the Elevator album I'd downloaded and kept thinking that my semi-gamble would play off. I was proven correct.

Faker were a great support act as they tried to get the crowd pumped up. Early on it seemed the sellout crowd weren't too interested, but either their great songs and energy or the Coronas with lime soon got everyone excited. It sure worked for me!

Amongst the poles of the Prince of Wales, which I'd never visited before, we found a good spot and saw the most impressive show of the year. There was no shortage of excitement this time around. The first sight of the Hot Hot Heat lead singer's recognisable blonde curly afro as he entered the stage was enough to stir the crowd near the stage into a frenzy. A Canadian flag was whipped out and given to the singer to wave.

The Canuck indie rockers brought their upbeat tunes from the start, excelling with Goodnight, Goodnight, You Owe Me An IOU and the fan favourite Bandages. It's a song I'd fallen in love with when SYN transmission broke down and they looped a CD for a weekend that featured it. I'd guessed it was by Rocket Science until a few weeks before the concert.

The evening was a perfect advertisement for the Elevator CD and I obliged and bought it not long afterwards. The clincher came during the encore in the form of the title track Elevator, with its great piano line and wicked chorus. My spine tingled at the sound of the line "Don't take me up/I'll just fall down". Wow. The night closed with the somewhat appropriate Running Out Of Time.

Hearing and enjoying a (semi) new album so much reminded me of my favourite album ever, Powderfinger's Odyssey Number Five, which I heard virtually in full at their awesome Forum gig (one of my first!) in 2000. Like Goldilocks, I had found everything was just right. Both bands, the atmosphere, the setlist, the sound, the ... alcohol: all first class. And first class deserves...first place.

Honourable mentions go to Evermore, Foo Fighters, Little Birdy and Oasis.