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Live review: The Neptune Power Federation, Seedy Jesus and Sick Fizz at Crowbar, Sydney, Saturday, August 23 2025
By BRIAN GIFFIN
IT’S been a pretty quiet period for the normally quite-prolific Neptune Power Federation. The announcement of this short run of shows was met with a level of quiet anticipation from this reviewer especially given that our last encounter just over a year ago further cemented their reputation as one of the best around.
The Crowbar’s recent renovations have done away with the old smoking area and recalibrated the band room, creating much-needed better sightlines and easier flow in and out. The strong turn out would prove the upgrade’s mettle later in the evening when the headliners took over the room.
First up tonight was Sick Fizz, proudly waving their newly-minted third album as they deliver a catchy feast of garage punk and high-velocity glam trash. The buzzsaw guitar, punny titles and ultra-octane levels of energy follow a direct ancestral line from Nancy Vandal’s pool party days. The sax comes out late in the set with a guest bass spot from “Jay Fizz” and then the wild psychedelic jam “Voodoo Chicken Boogie” spirals into “We Fucked This City On Rock n Roll” to wrap up their fun-filled party-bringing vibe. It’s quite the way to kick off the evening.
Melbourne’s Seedy Jeezus take the idea of psychedelic jams to another level. Each song unfurls into an extended Earthless-style journey of long trippy instrumental passages laden with guitar indulgence. Vocals seem almost inconsequential but when they occasionally veer into a shorter, more conventionally-structured piece it doesn’t feel the least bit out of place among the more epic feature-length freakouts. A mesmerising but energising show.
It isn’t long before the evening main attraction arrives – the high collar of her royal gown aglow, the Imperial Princess moves gracefully through the crowd as The Neptune Power Federation tear into her entrance theme, “Mind Voyager”. On stage, she is so much the focus of their act that Fox and Jay are almost hidden from view, popping their heads in once in a while to sing back-ups.
While she conducts benedictions in the front row, Troy shreds the hell out of his pointy guitar and River Stixx delivers a Herculean drumming performance. A friend of mine once said this man “plays drums the way Lemmy played bass” and that rang true this evening, and as much as their singer soaks up the spotlight, the entire band carve out their cavalcade of underground hits with laser-directed accuracy: “Make a Man Out of You”, “Neath a Shin Ei Sun”, “My Precious One”.
As the set comes to an end with the Princess retiring to her exit theme, The Neptune Power Federation have delivered yet another successful and powerful sermon to their growing flock.
