Manning Bar - Sydney, NSW
Saturday 16th March 2024

Photos by: Jimmy Wah

It’s been nearly 20 years since the release of the groundbreaking albums The New Normal and Sharing Space by Australian prog giants COG. Since recently gaining the rights to both albums, they marked the occasion with a first time vinyl release accompanied by an Australian East Coast tour with YOMI SHIP and KODIAK EMPIRE. Those lucky enough to see COG perform in their original home town on the last night of the tour at Sydney’s Manning Bar were treated to a night of pure energy, passion and nostalgia.

Opening the set with the definitive opener to The New Normal, the crowd was instantly transported back to the shores of Bondi with ‘Real Life’. The unrivalled energy of COG has lost none of it’s vigour, with all three members taking turns behind the mic to deliver one of the biggest sounds you will ever hear from a 3-piece. The dedicated fans echoed each phrase in a heartfelt, passionate chorus of voices given the space to open up on their own during the bridge. This was a recurring theme throughout the set.

Flynn stopped to address the crowd several times throughout the set, ensuring that the significance of Sydney as the place where it all started was not just acknowledged but honoured. Stopping to pay tribute to their Dad who he said was always in the crowd until his passing during their reunion tour in 2019, he said “I don’t know what happens, or where we go when we die, but Dad, I hope you’re here with us tonight.“ COG then launched into ‘The Spine’ which held a renewed significance as the crowd went into a frenzy.

A moment of complication was turned into a moment of unity during the penultimate song of the set, ‘Bird of Feather’. The crowd’s voices could once again be heard above the music as the bass glitched and sound was cut from the PA during the opening, but it didn’t stop there. Everyone continued to sing even louder almost all the way to the chorus before sound came back and Flynn announced that this would be the last song of the set. While this meant forgoing ‘Problem, Reaction, Solution’, it was clear that no one was dissatisfied with the always monumental live experience that is COG.

COG

THE SETLIST

YOMI SHIP

KODIAK EMPIRE

Photos by: Jimmy Wah