Review: The Predators album launch, The Triffid, Brisbane, October 15, 2021

A member of Brisbane rock royalty has delivered a broadside to the Queensland Government’s slow reopening of the state amid the pandemic.

As a member of Powderfinger, John Collins is Brisbane rock royalty.

And as co-owner of two of the city’s most prominent live music venues, The Triffid and The Fortitude Music Hall, he knows all too well the toll taken on the industry by Covid-19 lockdowns over the past two years.

It was a rare treat last night to see “J.C.” perform at his own venue – “This Triffid is awesome, I’ve never been here!” he quipped at one point – for the debut album launch of his other band The Predators, with Powderfinger co-founders Steve Bishop and Ian Haug.

And he took the opportunity to issue a plea to the Premier open the state back up.

Before launching into Pick Up the Pace, Collins remarked: “It’s great to see a band playing in front of people.

“Let’s get there (opening up) sooner rather than later – Annastacia Palaszczuk can we hurry the f—-up please?”

Ms Palaszczuk has come under increasing pressure for her refusal to join a national road map out of the pandemic.

Indeed, the rebirth of The Predators and the release of their long-time-coming debut album was borne out of the frustration of lockdown, and sprang from Powderfinger’s lockdown sessions and online concert last year.

Predators album launch Triffid

“It took us a long time to make this record – 16 years,” Haug observed.

Collins joked: “We’re a bit older than we were 16 years ago – we’re 35 and stuff!”

Anyone expecting the Powdies’ greatest hits at last night’s show would have been missing the point. But judging from the enthusiastic reception among the sold-out crowd there were few in that category.

While many of the songs would have been new to the punters, that didn’t dim their enthusiasm.

It helped that earworms such as opener Say My Piece, the Powderfinger-esque Too Far to Mention and the new single Taking Fire were almost instantly accessible.

For last night’s gig they were joined by a keyboardist, which allowed them to play Precious Moments, a classic from their debut EP, live for the first time.

And while they might not be KISS fans, The Predators have their own animalistic personas.

“J.C. is the wolf, Bish is the condor and I’m the shark,” Haug noted.

Setlist: Say My Piece, Golden Handcuff, High and Low, Taking Fire, The Sea, Too Far to Mention, Precious Moments, Lead the Way, Pick Up the Pace, Wrong Side of Down. Encore: Malibu (Hole cover), Still My Friend.

The Predators album launch Triffid