Bushfire Benefit @ the Heritage Hotel Bulli - 2020

Review by Jimmy Wah | Sense Music Media

It was a hot Summer day in late January on the East Coast of Australia, a typical sunburnt day for that time of year where a cool drink in the safety of family and friends seemed the only escape. Yes, this was Australia Day. Even though the afternoon heat promised little reprieve, there was one place where punters could definitely enjoy a cool drink and good company before an evening that would amplify their spirits, the Heritage Hotel Bulli.

With the glare of the evening Sun waning behind them, the stage was set for performers to draw the crowd from a delicious pub feed into the function room to celebrate Australia Day, launching an official debut of the explosive local rock ensemble, Projekt Mayhem. Before the headline act hit the stage however, there was a line-up of artists from near and far to energize a pacified crowd as the day drew to a close.

First up was Left Lane, this quartet of local youngsters fronted by bassist and lead vocalist Avril Ferguson, played a mix of rockin’ originals and covers while showcasing their skills to rival the established musicians to follow. Along with Cooper Burke on lead guitar, Max Ramirez on guitar + vox and Ethan Ferguson on drums, they turned heads with their familiar sounding, solid collection of rock tunes to warm the crowd up for the second act.

Liam Morton is an acoustic, solo artist from the Gold Coast, Queensland. He travelled 11 hours down the East Coast of Australia to give the audience a taste of his soaring vocals and consistent folk-flavoured melodies. He certainly showed no signs of fatigue from his road trip as he brought down a diverse range of showpieces without missing a beat, ranging from AC/DC and Elvis to the one and only, Liam Morton. Maybe it was his brief nap in the rooms at the Heritage upstairs, or maybe he really is that good.

Next in line was Lizzie Jack and the Beanstalks, another local band who brought with them a range of both originals and covers. As the name suggests, this band is fronted by guitarist and lead vocalist Lizzie Jack, who was joined by James Daniel on lead guitar, Alex Fordyce on bass + vox, and Paddy Harris on drums. They took the volume up a level with their distinctive style owning the stage and having stacks of fun, with their own tunes being played alongside covers like Touch Myself by the Divinyls.

Finally, it was time for the headline act that everyone was waiting eagerly to hear, Projekt Mayhem. This well-seasoned and powerful line-up features the energetic and talented heart-throb Cameron Jones on vocals, Navs Arelli on bass + backing vox, Harry Dunk on lead guitar, Daniel Jennings on guitar and his little brother Blake delivering enormous sound on the drums while belting out vocals at the same time. What Projekt Mayhem brings to the table is a range of massive songs from the late 90s and early 00s with an equally massive energy. These songs gave many their musical grounding while to others, they are dear to their heart; from The Living End to Grinspoon to Silverchair, from Blink 182 to Papa Roach, from System of a Down to Rage Against The Machine — with the help of some talented showmanship, the setlist was loaded with what has been described as ‘The ultimate in Tony Hawk Pro Skater rock’.

On what proved to be a crazy night of awesome music, the Heritage Hotel Bulli stamped its dominance as a great local venue to host awesome shows and a great place to drown the heat in Summer, with all proceeds from the Australia Day gig going to WIRES for bushfire relief.