Children Collide

Continuing the 'surprisingly massive crowd' trend are Children Collide. Like, this horde of people is fucking massive. It's obvious their profile has risen dramatically in the past twelve months (helped obviously by their ridiculously great debut, The Long Now and the singles have gotten a flogging. Plus we're in rugby territory...) but this is out of the blue. Their live show is routinely celebrated, and today is no different. As a band, they've consistently been one of Australia's best bands to see live - in any form - but at the moment they're on another plane altogether. The combination of Johnny, Heath & Ryan makes for a spleen exploding arse-kick - Brave Robot, Farewell Rocketship, We Are Amphibious, We Live in Fear and Cannibal are nothing short of jaw-dropping. The aura of abandon and sheer willful 'fuck you' makes them one of the finest live bands you could see at the moment. Or any moment. - Beat Magazine - Melbourne

"Can you please get a photo of this just in case it never happens again?" implores Johnny Mackay, looking out at the ecstatic crowd.

On the final evening of the Melbourne trio's cross-country trek it becomes clear that Children Collide are one of the hottest bands in the land right now - and the audience knows it. I'm kinda taken by surprise by the rampant enthusiasm of the drunk dudes in front of me, who pummel their fists in the air and holler along to 'Social Currency' like it's Grand Final night all over again (guess those supports with Grinspoon have paid off.)

Two years back, Children Collide were a volatile, raw beast, messily screaming through tracks like 'Cannibal' Skip forward to the end of '08 and with Dave Sardy's help, plus treks with the likes of The Living End, they've well and truly evolved.

Unbelievably tight, loud and arresting onstage, Johnny's broad arsenal of guitar sounds is usually unheard here at the 'Dale. I wish they played 'Devil's Child' but seeing a band so thrilled at the reaction the were getting is heart-warming stuff.

Get thee to their next show. - JMag - National

Sure, they're no longer the hot name of the Melbourne underground, but Children Collide - an intense hook-laden rock act based around the dynamics of songwriter and guitarist Johnny Mackay & bassist Heath Crawley - more than deliver on their early one-to-watch, promising to be one of the best local rock records of 2008.

With infectious guitar pop hooks thrown over tight yet impressively unbridled energy, songs such as 'Social Currency' and 'Chosen Armies' stand tall.

Equally impressive on this set recorded by LA rock producer Dave Sardy are the stomping 60's rock tinted cuts 'Cannibal' and 'Seasons Changing' and the meandering psychedelic closer 'Devil's Child'

Rough around the edges and delivered with a refreshing gusto, The Long Now goes a long way to capturing the intensity of the band's live show - no mean feat at all. - Blunt Magazine- National

Capitalising on the buzz created by their Glass Mountain Liars EP, Melbourne three-piece Children Collide's full length debut is built from tight, hypnotic grooves that snake into slow building songs, driven more by the irresistible momentum of the band's obvious musicianship than by any conscious creative narrative.

At some point it all comes back to Nirvana, but never so much that you wish it didn't - and in some cases, not quite as much as you wish it did (particularly when instrumental smarts get the better of pop song craftsmanship).

Tracks like lead single Social Currency are as immediately catchy as you could wish for, making this a shoe-in for much Triple J flogging.

But what of the album as a whole? All sci-fi allusions and moody atmospheres, The Long Now is buoyed by uber-producer Dave Sardy's democratic mix, there's enough air in it to let everybody breathe, to let everybody have their flourishes, but nobody is allowed to have too much of a say.

Their influences shine through in short stabs - a little Pink Floyd psychedelia here, a little Cure moodiness there, a sprinkle of Bau-Haus's drama on top.

Unfortunately it's a little one dimensional - a combination of the bands idiosyncratically linear song-writing and an almost total lack of backing vocals tends to create a sense of sameness at times.

On the upside of that, if this promising band are guilty of relying on one sound too much, at least it's a frickin' great sound they're hooked on.
- Rolling Stone Australia - National

2009 will be Children Collide’s year. Take note of these words.

This is the third time I have caught the Melbourne 3-piece in the last 6 months and they just get better and tighter. Frontman Jonny Mackay raises a slight smile when stepping on stage, noticing the almost sold out crowd. It's amazing what a support slot for the revitalised Living End (after a dud record a couple of years ago…but that’s another story) does to a relatively unknown band. Only a few months ago Children Collide played to a handful of punters at a venue half the size. Mackay mentions that there were 50 times the amount of people than there were last time they played in Adelaide. But the new album is out and everyone is happy.

Ripping straight into 'We Are Amphibious', quickly followed by 'We Live in Fear' and 'Brave Robot' the crowd were quickly on the same page as the band. The set list was obvious, as it always is for a bands first album tour. But Children Collide seemed happy to finally play tracks off of their debut album after two EP releases. Next up was 'Cannibal' and 'Chosen Armies' – complete with talking guitar! – showing they are not afraid to wear their Nirvana influences high on their sleeves – check out 'Economy' off The Long Now album. While this is an obvious statement, they do it well, showing you can absorb their heroes music without it sounding like a complete rip off.

They continued to tear through the majority of the new album like experienced troopers holding the crowd in their palms. Heading to the (unfortunate) end of the show, the big songs ended the show. 'Skeleton Dance', 'Terrible Lizard' and next single 'Farewell Rocketship' threw the crowd into oblivion. But nothing compared to when THE hit was played. I am talking, of course, about 'Social Currency' which is destined to be a massive song for them. They finished off this triumphant show with a rocking instrumental number showing their diversity as a band. The future is bright for Children Collide.
- www.fasterlouder.com.au

Children Collide had a date with destiny on Friday night and the power trio from the NSW Central Coast knew it. Anticipation for a landmark gig was high among a packed mob of motley Sydney punters. Hell, even the Annandale's carpet seemed stickier.

A confederacy of three, Children Collide seem built for speed, power and harmonising. This was to be their biggest Sydney gig since forming in Melbourne three years back and mashing and re-recording their EPs 'We Three Brave and True' (2005) and 'Glass Mountain Liars' (2006) as 'The Long Now', the LP that currently has critics in conniptions.

And right from the get-go they had the crowd purring - literally. 'Chosen Armies' is one of those strange, frenetic little songs that compels a crowd to involuntary tongue thrumming in the chorus. Like whistling, purring in rock is an undernourished art form. Offset by a thunderous riff and lyrics about searching for frozen ground, these purrs shook the rafters. Somewhere in heaven, Roy Orbison - who coined the kitten roll in the 60s - winked from behind his shades.

But that's all these boys owe The Big O. The blitzkrieg that followed better resembled a sonic orgy attended by The Strokes, Nirvana, The Police, Wolfmother and The Vines. Lead singer Johnny Mackay had his husky growl down pat and he spat it and slurred it to potent effect, never descending to a moan, nor ascending to a scream. That he reined his raw power and spiced it with some witty back-and-forth banter with the throng told us he's a frontman with a gilded larynx and plenty more up his sleeve.

If Johnny had the wheel, his bass-pummeling band mate Heath Crawley held the eye. No shoe-gazing with this bloke, no artful hair-flicking or tremulous knee-kinking at the bridge. Heath has the music in him and, like those great spasming soul men Joe Cocker, Peter Garrett and Anthony, he lets it out anyway it wants. Head back, eyes twitching, torso shaking with the tsunami of sound the band unleashes, he's sensational. And rockabilly Ryan Caesar on drums bangs his gong and urges him ever onward.

The songs came fast and atmospheric and there was plenty of gear-shifting as the band honed through the rip-roaring album opener 'Across the Earth', fizzing crowd favourite 'We Are Amphibious', elastic thrasher 'Social Currency', cheeky beast 'Cannibal' and the full moon fever anthems 'Farewell Rocketship' and 'Skeleton Dance'. Mackay went elegantly apeshit in a Bleach B-side blow-out towards the end but mostly the band were tight, loud, and sharp as rats with gold teeth, the sound toe-tapping yet head-banging.

The set was short and heavy and several catchy little cannons were left in the van as the band bizarrely opted out of an encore. It denied fans the scorching delights of 'Marie Marie' and the fab seven-minute slab of rawk they afforded Stevie Wright's immortal 'Black Eyed Bruiser' on the Easybeats tribute album, Easyfever, but no one asked for a refund. The future of Oz rock had been glimpsed and all agreed it looked sweet indeed. - Time Out - Sydney

Whenever anyone thinks of The Long Now, they need, like, some old god-like guy rocking a nostalgia trip infomercial introduction something along the lines of a croaky "Do you remember a time when music was a visceral experience? Children Collide do. Do you remember when music make you feel reckless? Children Collide do."

Not because The Long Now is any sort of throwback - far from it - but simply because records like this NEVER get released anymore. Albums that simply make you grateful that it's kicking your head in. A record that doesn't have a moment where it relents from battering you with a combination of melody, subtlety and sheer brute force.

In a world where an artifice rules far too supreme, it's invigorating to have something so real go up inside your head. You can throw phrases like neo-grunge around as much as you like but you'd be nothing but a wanker because The Long Now is simply rock music. That it comes from a young band without any of the shit hangups of their forerunners or shittier contemporaries gives it the perfect exhilaration edge that all great records have, and The Long Now has it in spades.

Shit, if you're wigging out on too much cheap speed and eight dollar cask, then it's advisable to watch 'Social Currency' because that insanely frenetic burbling bass of Heath Crawley and Ryan Caesar's psychotic drumming will more than likely cause your brain to implode under the weight of it's paranoid made real. That's even before Johnny Mackay's yelp and THAT swirling guitar eventually crashes about you like a wave of awesome. It's decrying the idea of 'cool' and it couldn't be any cooler.

It's no wonder Dave Sardy wanted to produce Children Collide, there is an intensity that all great rock bands have and Children Collide have made it their own.

This killer instinct is evidenced everywhere - the quiet-loud dynamics of 'Seasons Changing' make for the best Nirvana song Kurt Cobain junkie-d himself out of writing, but with regrets and yearning for love that shows Mackay's softer side.

The incredible pop melodies that charge 'Cannibal' and 'Brave Robot' are nothing short of breathtaking - that there's hints of vulnerability amidst the squealing guitars and pop nous makes it all the more incredible. That they can strip it all back for the acoustic-led 'Farewell Rocketship' which then turns into a garage-Muse-esque wig-out or the touching 'Marie Marie Pt 2' where Mackay's gruff voice is smoothed out before being shown the punk door (and an amazing, shimmering pop turn at the end) is nothing short of astounding.

On the flip side, there's the imperious garage psyche-punk of 'We Live in Fear' which channels and MC5 into the new millennium, the sabre-rattling punk-funk of 'Skeleton Dance' and the metal-tinged 'Economy' - more apt for current climes that you would've thought possible.

The album highlight, however, belongs to 'Chosen Armies' the best tune of the record and a nice summation of what makes Children Collide great. The roar of the mammoth chorus collapses over the top of the unrelenting, insistent punk groove (again with Crawley's bass rambling away) of the barked versus and you're sent into rock fucking heaven.

The Long Now is the perfect record for it's time. It's an ethereal, sci-fi influenced document of paranoia and doubt about relationships, the world, everything - but set to the most rousing rock soundtrack. REM, The Pixies, Nirvana - it had led here. Simply, The Long Now - it's a fucking scorcher.


- Beat Magazine - Melbourne

Children Collide are absolutely the sound of here and now.
The basslines are what drive these four songs, shuddering along on a rock groove that's more than just a little bit funky.
This single was produced by Dave Sardy (Jet) and is made for indie club dancefloors, where it's menacing air will take back seat to the frenetic energy of the verses and the shouty, made-for-singing along chorus.
Elsewhere on this release it's harder to ignore that deliciously threatening air with things coming to a very intense conclusion on 'Chameleon.' - Drum Media - Sydney

...Children Collide proved once again that they are a damn exciting band in concert. All boundless energy from start to finish. As the crowd lapped up 'Social Currency' and 'Farewell Rocketship' it was their final instrumental jam that left everybody with jaws on the floor, the band thrashing about on stage with no regard for themselves or their instruments. - Drum Media - Perth

The Children Collide trio have been smashing stages together for the last four years. With their latest offering, The Long Now, they show us how they have remained one of Australia's most talented acts, all while sticking to their classic massive, brisk rock n roll sound.

After storming the airwaves with the career-defining 'Glass Mountain Liars' two years ago, some frantic touring and big-name production collaborations have done nothing but enhance their studio sound into a force to be reckoned with. This debut full-length is almost all we could hope for.

Interestingly they have decided to revisit 'Glass Mountain Liars' territory with four of the six tracks featuring on The Long Now. The biggest changes are a prog touch-up of 'Brave Robot' and a ballad-esque revamp
of 'Cannibal' which could go either way with the diehards.

Standout track is the punk-ish 'Seasons Changing.' This album will further push Children
Collide into the spotlight, and has proven their ability once again to belt out some of the catchiest riffs conceived in Australia. - 3-D World - National