title: COG by Josh Feenjeen. BDO Melbourne

URL: http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/clippings/reviews/s772355.htm

date: January 2003

writer: Josh Feenjeen

With murmurs on the breeze concerning COG being one of the most exciting and commercially underrated bands in Australia at the moment, and with "Paris, Texas" currently able to be heard Triple J, I just couldn't resist hooking over to the Essentials Stage to see what the hubbub was over. From my experiences in the past the hype usually outweighs the talent except on rare occasions. This was to be one of them. With over 500 pairs of eyes trained on the stage the three lads from Bondi made their entrance and for the next 45 minutes not one eye strayed. Put bluntly, COG were incredible. From the moment they began to belt out their huge, experimental, TOOL-esque rock I, along with the vast majority of the crowd, was transfixed. They were tight as any of the greatest live bands going around and freakishly amazing musicians who went right off. One is unable to truly review a single live show of COG due to the fact that I got the feeling these guys couldn't get any less astounding. If you have never had the intense aural pleasure of listening to a track by COG, here is a basic outline: the guitarist's vocals soar over the beast that is COG like a warm wind on a cool autumn evening. And what a beast it is! The drums are flawless. Pounding and fervent (but very controlled), they drive the guitars into what, at one moment, can be as soft and melodious as a bird of song, and the next be the steaming colossus that sends shivers down your spine and vacates the brain of all thought. I think you get the idea. COG being the only (unfortunately) band I was able to check out inside the large shed that contained the essentials stage I can't compare the sound to anything else, but sometimes you just don't need to. The mix was as impeccable as the band on stage, transparent as you like and fat as it gets, with the lights complementing the mood like a charm. The only downside to their show was that COG were unable to finish to perfection due to technical problems with the guitar cutting their final song short by a good 5 minutes. But they had already earned the absolute respect of the awestruck audience that gave thunderous applause to their exit. COG: if you added an 's' and changed the 'c' to a 'd' it would be an anagram for GODS…but I don't need that kind of reassurance - I already know what they are and so do the hundreds of others who were witness to COG at the Big Day Out.