Gig review – Neptune Power Federation at the Thornbury Theatre – Melbourne – June 14, 2019
By PERRY GRAYSON
Photos by TANYA CATELLI
A question for you, dear fellow rawkers: what would you get if you threw a tab of Hawkwind, a dash of Alice Cooper, a cupful of Coven and a smattering of Mercyful Fate in a Cuisinart (that’s a blender for any of you not familiar with the Septic Tank Yank appliance brand)? The answer is, indubitably, The Neptune Power Federation – a heavy/occult rawk ’n’ roll machine with gobs of gusto and serious stage presence. Fronting this mystical, magical band is the female Aussie equivalent of King Diamond, the enigmatic Imperial Priestess, Screaming Loz Sutch. The Priestess’ powerful vocal delivery is bolstered by the beastly likes of duelling axemen Troy Scerri (Daredevil, This Thing, Fattura Della Morte, Buffalo Revisited) and riffmeister Mike Foxall. Not to mention the ominous low-end rumble of bassist Jason Whalley and Bonzo-like drummer Dean Bakota. The Priestess spoke in obscure tongues and esoteric purple prose in between songs, jumping into the crowd to deliver her lyrics a la Iggy Pop (sans peanut butter). All the while, she maintained her gothic composure, including a set of creepy, vampiric contact lenses (like glowing relics from the 1960 Brit horror flick Village of the Damned) and a massive shamanistic headdress. It’s the opinion of your humble critic that NPF has great things in store in the near future!
