Iron Reagan. Crowbar Brisbane.

Iron Reagan, Malakyte, Deraign – Wednesday 08 April 2015 Crowbar Brisbane

31 songs in 30 minutes. That ain’t fucking around. Based on the number of people in attendance at the Crowbar it’s almost enough for Iron Reagan to personally dedicate a song to every single person in the crowd.

Gold Coast thrashers Deraign kicked off proceedings relatively late, serving up old school thrash with a touch of Motörhead and a ton of stage presence. Their short set is well received, but there’s plenty of room to move on the floor.

Malakyte have seen a lot of action recently, including supporting Megadeth’s Dave Ellefson on his spoken word tour. Their experience shows in their neck snapping support set, before singer Muz declares his allegiance for the headliners. “You’re about to see the best band in the world!”

If Iron Reagan have any concerns about the number of participants in the pit, they don’t let it show, tearing straight into I Won’t Go and lighting up a room peppered with patched battle jackets, big sneakers and suspect looking Mustaine haircuts. The intimacy of the crowd lets everyone in attendance get up close and personal with the band.

Eyeball Gore gets thrown into the mix early on, and Your Kid’s An Asshole goes down a treat, much to the delight of those in the room sporting freshly purchased yellow shirts with the song title emblazoned across the back.

Frontman Tony takes time to personalise Cops Don’t Like Me, I Don’t Like Cops and the monster riffs keep coming hard and fast. Hi-tops kicks keep lapping the floor as Iron Reagan lay down a mosh friendly soundtrack featuring highlights Cycle Of Violence, Four More Years and the awesome Miserable Failure. A mandatory encore includes a ripping thrash cover of a Cannibal Corpse favourite, Skull Full Of Maggots.

Given the frenetic pace of their crossover set, it’s no surprise Iron Reagan are ready to expire after 30 minutes. But as the straggle of sweaty bodies makes its way up the stairs and out the door, I can help but wonder, is that all there is?

Words by Eden Howard

Photo by KenadaQ