Words – CeeCee
Photos – Ben Gunzburg

Bloody hell, what an amazing gig at Max Watts House of Music! However, we were met with some sad news upon finding out that β€œWheel” were unable to perform. James had flu symptoms which worsened, leading to the loss of his voice. We were informed of this prior to the event, with a statement from the band.

β€œπ‘΄π’†π’π’ƒπ’π’–π’“π’π’†, π’˜π’† 𝒂𝒓𝒆 π’ƒπ’†π’šπ’π’π’… π’…π’Šπ’”π’‚π’‘π’‘π’π’Šπ’π’•π’†π’… 𝒕𝒐 π’Šπ’π’‡π’π’“π’Ž π’šπ’π’– 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 π’˜π’† π’˜π’Šπ’π’ 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 π’‘π’†π’“π’‡π’π’“π’Ž π’•π’π’π’Šπ’ˆπ’‰π’•.
π‘±π’‚π’Žπ’†π’” 𝒉𝒂𝒅 π’Žπ’Šπ’π’… 𝒇𝒍𝒖 π’”π’šπ’Žπ’‘π’•π’π’Žπ’” π’˜π’‰π’†π’ π’˜π’† π’˜π’†π’“π’† π’π’†π’‚π’—π’Šπ’π’ˆ π‘―π’†π’π’”π’Šπ’π’Œπ’Š 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒇 π’•π’‰π’Šπ’” π’Žπ’π’“π’π’Šπ’π’ˆ, π’‰π’Šπ’” π’—π’π’Šπ’„π’† π’Šπ’” π’π’†π’‚π’“π’π’š π’ˆπ’π’π’†.Β 
𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 π’‚π’ƒπ’”π’π’π’–π’•π’†π’π’š π’ˆπ’–π’•π’•π’†π’… 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒕 π’šπ’π’– π’ˆπ’–π’šπ’” π’…π’π’˜π’ 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 π’šπ’π’– 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’˜π’‰π’‚π’• 𝒂 π’…π’Šπ’‡π’‡π’Šπ’„π’–π’π’• π’„π’‰π’π’Šπ’„π’† π’˜π’† 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 π’Žπ’‚π’Œπ’† – 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 π’‚π’‘π’π’π’π’ˆπ’Šπ’†π’”.
𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅, π’˜π’† π’˜π’Šπ’π’ 𝒃𝒆 π’ƒπ’‚π’„π’Œ – π’•π’‰π’‚π’π’Œ π’šπ’π’– 𝒇𝒐𝒓 π’šπ’π’–π’“ π’‘π’‚π’•π’Šπ’†π’π’„π’† 𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’–π’π’…π’†π’“π’”π’•π’‚π’π’…π’Šπ’π’ˆΒ  ” 

The night kicked off with an artist I hadn’t heard of before, but I’m glad I have now. Keyan Houshmand, an amazing guitarist from Adelaide, took the stage with his bass player and drummer. These guys blew me away from the moment they started playing. The crowd was captivated by Keyan’s guitar skills; it was a mesmerizing moment.

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@keyanhoushmandlive

As their set list progressed, the sound enveloped the crowd, earning massive applause and appreciation for the trio’s talent. This is a band I would love to see again and again. I can’t wait to hear what they come up with next

After returning from their American tour, Caligula’s Horse from Brisbane opened their set with ‘The World Breathes With Me’ from their newly released album ‘Charcoal Grace.’ Sam stepped onto the stage with his ruby red guitar, a fitting choice as the band expressed their appreciation of being home. I couldn’t help but note the fittingness of the moment, remarking to those around me that ‘there’s no place like home.’Β 

The evening was filled with laughter as some audience members engaged in witty banter with Jim. Comments like ‘you fucking nailed it’ and ‘you should play the whole album’ which was met with laughter and banter from Jim, creating a lively and enjoyable atmosphere. One memorable moment was when Jim humorously remarked, ‘imagine going to a gig, pointing at one of the members until you get their attention, and just saying she knows.’ His sense of humour added to the fun of the show.

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The band curated their set list spanning through the years, with a highlight for me being 2015 when they performed ‘Bloom,’ which transitioned into ‘Marigold.’ ‘Marigold’ was the song that initially introduced me to this band, and hearing it live for the first time gave me goose bumps.

Caligula’s Horse delivered an unforgettable set, igniting the crowd with their smooth movements and captivating music. The atmosphere was electric, with screams of excitement filling the air. Closing the show with ‘Daughter of the Mountain,’ Jim’s vocals sent shivers down my spine, leaving me in awe of his talent.

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@caligulashorse

Reflecting on the evening fills me with gratitude for such an incredible experience. It was a night to remember, filled with unforgettable music and moments that will stay with me forever.

The performances were truly spectacular, keeping the crowd on their feet and engaged throughout. The event was impeccably organized, adding to the seamless and immersive experience.

In all, it surpassed all expectations, leaving me with cherished memories and a yearning to relive the magic of that night again and again.

Thanks to the Max Watts crew for having us and a special thanks to the good people at Destroy All Lines arranging media access.


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