The Sick Puppies rocked The Varsity Theatre Monday night igniting the audience’s musical energy down to their very fingertips. From ballads causing a wave of hip swaying to screaming high energy metal initiating a mosh pit, the show was a roller coaster of vibes leaving jaws dropped and hearts pounding.This trio, originally from Sydney, Australia, is now based in Los Angeles, CA and just started a six month tour across America. This was their second time in Baton Rouge and lead singer and guitarist Shimon Moore says it’s because they’re “a guaranteed success” at the Varsity. “The crowd is just sick here,” he continued. And a success they truly are. With three released albums, two of which reaching the top ten on U.S. charts and six singles to hit the charts, Sick Puppies are quickly climbing their way to the top. The band started in 1997 when Moore and Emma Anzai, bassist, started jamming together in the music room at their high school in Austrailia. When the two wanted to take their duo to the next level, they found drummer Chris Mileski and started the Sick Puppies. The band won the annual Triple J Unearthed band competition which really pumped up Moore and Anzai to the point where they wanted to move to Los Angeles to jumpstart their career. When Mileski couldn’t come with them, the two used the internet website Craigslist to find a new drummer. Current drummer Mark Goodwin replied to the ad and the rest is history.

The Varsity was packed and the energy was high. The first opening band, Violent Soho, a four-man act also from Austraila, started off a great show with a grunge look and the sound of Smashing Pumpkins meets Nirvana. James Tidswell, vocals and guitar, jokingly told the audience to feel free to “donate marijuana” and thanked the crowd profusely for showing up early and supporting music. After the show, Tidswell went on to say the band has been living in Brooklyn, New York since October and is excited about touring. Their hit single “Jesus Stole My Girlfriend” is about his sister breaking one of the band member’s hearts after breaking off their engagement. When asked where the band’s name came from, Tidswell said, in a thick Austrailian accent, “We basically just put names in a hat and pulled out two that we thought went together.”

After Violent Soho came Janus from Chicago, IL. Janus had also played at The Varsity before with band Framing Hanley. In all black and red, the mysteriously dark and powerful group really got the crowd going. From the front guys jumping on speakers to drummer Johnny Salazar head-banging in the back, this band “knows what it takes to perform,” said Salazar. Their single “Eyesore” is a huge hit with the crowd, and the radio, and it’s clear this screamo meets punk band has what it takes to make it to the top. Salazar considers the band’s genre to be “dynamically accessible rock” and says the spectrum of their influences “would range from Portishead to the Deftones.”   He continues, “If we can play music without having to worry about paying the bills, just be able to do music,” then the band could say they’d made it. With just a “van and a trailer,” Janus is truly passionate about music and performs with real honesty making any fan feel like they’re watching a movement take place in musical history.

Finally: Sick Puppies. The whole audience screams, jumps, claps, and whatever else, as the trio takes the stage. With the audience singing along to every word, the band performed their famous singles “All the Same” and “My World”, and even performed a remake of Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name.” Moore kept the crowd alive by doing a guy vs. girl screaming match, which, of course, LSU and Baton Rouge’s women won hands down. Anzai wailed on the bass jumping and spinning all over the place with her long, black hair trying to keep up.  Some fans screamed “Who Dat?!” after every song, which the band clearly didn’t understand but took the phrase as a term of endearment nonetheless.  After playing their newest single, “You’re Going Down,” which is leaping the charts, the band left the stage only causing everyone to break into a resounding “encore!” to which they obliged.

Kyle Leibenguth, a May 2009 Chemical Engineering graduate of LSU said the show was the “best one I’ve seen in a long time.”

When asked what inspired the band’s new edge and bigger vocals in this new album, lead singer Moore simply replied he liked the vibe from “festival crowds.” Those sorts of events made them want to take it up a notch and grow musically and lyrically and based off of Monday night’s performance, they’re doing a damn good job.