There’s nothing quite like the music industry to bring out the best and worst in people and lead you and your mates to self-combust in front of the world. If you’ve ever been in a band, been witness to a band’s public display of self-implosion, or are just plain fascinated by the intricacies of band politics, then FRONT is a play that will speak to you in spades. With its sharp, gritty dialogue and observations, FRONT is like “Band Life 101” compressed credibly and succinctly into an 80 minute gloves off.
The play holds nothing back in its combat of wills, ego and power plays that tracks the fictitious band Rough Cut Punt as they cut through the industry bullshit on their search for fame. Talk to any band I’ve ever had the chance of chewing the fat with on the topic of band life, and they will quote me as saying time and again, “band life is not all beer and skittles”. FRONT is definitely a gutsy, well written, directed, and acted, and raw testament to that belief.
As an audience member you will be dragged through an intimate romp of a rock band’s career highs and lows. You’ll watch as human nature is stripped back for all to see, laying bare not only the inside machinations of band members with each other, but also their interactions with the power players of the music industry such as managers and music label executives. I felt I had a ring side seat to any number of well-known destructive toxic environments faced by bands such as Oasis, The Go-Betweens, The Kinks, and Children Collide to name a few. Writer/director, Michael Abercromby has captured in a nutshell the whole gamut of emotions and experiences that band members usually go through on their journey to fame and notoriety. His writing pulls no punches, landing with truth and accuracy every time.
The whole drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll stereotype is laid bare (no wonder it is a stereotype – it is based on fact) in a beautiful, sometimes poignant, sometimes comedic reality bites honesty. We get to gawk at the band’s innards as they are spilled out in the regular skirmishes. Every line is delivered in their gloriously sweary, sometimes angry, sometimes exuberant explosiveness with such conviction and passion by a cast full of talented rising stars. If they aren’t household names yet, they soon will be if they continue to be associated with such top notch productions as this from Jack Rabbit Theatre.
Lincoln Vickery plays the impassioned, driven, perfectionist lead singer/songwriter of Rough Cut Punt to a tee. He aims to be remembered for his music above all else. Andreas Lohmeyer is the young puppy dog, zen drummer who just wants to play and be friends with everyone in the band. He is the loveable guy in the band who has that innocent dumb vibe about him and does cute things like calling his mum when the band is first played on the radio. Jack Angwin takes on the star struck ambitious bassist who wants to share the lime light with the lead singer.
And finally we have the real musician in Charlie Falkner’s character of guitars who feels superior to all the other members but is sticking around because the band is playing what people want to hear and because he enjoys the trappings of a band going places especially when he can be as drugged out as he wants to be. To top it all off, Elle Harris plays the manager and Mary Soudi multitasks as the label executive, the radio dj, and a member of a rival band.
FRONT is on at Marrickville's Depot Theatre until Saturday July 15th. See the Sydney Scoop calendar for performance times.
