Review: Everclear @ The Gov 13/12/25
It was a night of ‘90s alt-rock nostalgia when Everclear took to the stage to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their seminal sophomore album, Sparkle and Fade.
Words Tobias Handke // Image Brian Cox
Everclear w/DOSE @ The Gov 13/12/25
Nothing makes you feel older than one of your favourite albums you listened to as a youngster, celebrating its 30th anniversary. To be honest, it’s still hard to believe Everclear’s Sparkle and Fade had been around that long. What’s even more surprising is how quickly Everclear shot to the top of the charts off the back of the album (and its follow-up, So Much for the Afterglow) before disappearing into the ether. Well, not entirely, but the Cali alt-rockers never quite matched the success of their second and third albums. But that hasn’t stopped Everclear from rocking on, with the band having a strong following down under, as demonstrated by the sold-out crowd that filled The Gov early to see their heroes.
While everyone was there to see Everclear, the large gathering gave DOSE a great opportunity to gain new fans with their opening slot. The Melbourne quartet only formed earlier this year, so to have already scored a support slot with an international touring artist like Everclear speaks volumes. A hybrid of ‘80s hair metal and classic rock with a touch of the blues, DOSE got punters up and about with their guitar-heavy tunes.
A bit was going on with DOSE. Their bassist played the double bass a la The Living End, both guitarists sang, and the one sporting a headband and dreadlocks pulled out a bunch of stage tricks from the Jimi Hendrix playbook, such as playing his guitar with his mouth and behind his head. It was a bit like watching The Vines in their early chaotic days with less screaming. Overall, two thumbs up.
Adelaide was the last stop on Everclear’s Australian tour, and they made sure to put on one hell of a performance for what was a predominantly middle-aged crowd happy to nod along in their sneans. A celebration of the album Sparkle and Fade, Everclear performed the album in full while throwing in a few classics from So Much For The Afterglow.
‘Heroin Girl’ featured the first of many crowd sing-alongs, an extended guitar intro preceded ‘Summerland’ and ‘Everything To Everyone’ got the bearded bloke next to me, who was double fisting cans of Jack Daniels and Coke all night, shimming about. There was an early tease of ‘Santa Monica’, but the band promised to return to the song later in the evening.
Frontman Art Alexakis, now in his sixties, started off a bit shaky, although it was hard to tell if that was due to the mix or his voice. Either way, it only took him a few songs to warm up, and by the second half of the set, he was in fine form. He was in a jovial mood, smiling and laughing, often asking the audience to sing with him or clap along. Alexakis also revealed several stories behind some of the tracks. He wrote ‘Starwberry’ in the middle of recording Sparkle and Fade after a recurring nightmare, and dedicated it to his “sober brothers and sisters” and anyone who was suffering from some form of disability or illness, mentioning his own battle with multiple sclerosis.
Limping about the stage, Alexakis took several short breaks to gargle a liquid of some sort to keep his voice in check. During one such instance, bassist Freddy Herrera asked if there were any songs the audience wanted to hear. After several shouts, guitarist Dave French began playing the opening riff to Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’. Alexakis returned and told French to stop playing, telling him everyone was “here to hear some ‘90s alternative rock”, which they delivered with the one-two punch of ‘The Twistinside’ and ‘Nehalem’.
“We only have this song because it went to number one here,” Alexakis explained before ‘Local God’, a live favourite that got punters singing “We do what we want.” That was followed by another fan fav, ‘Pale Green Stares’, one of the band’s “most requested songs” according to Alexakis. Finishing with the final two tracks of Sparkle and Fade, ‘Chemical Smile’ and ‘My Sexual Life’, Alexakis promised Everclear would return in two years for the 30th anniversary of their third album, So Much For The After Glow.
But before then, they gave everyone a little taste of the album, playing the title track and single ‘I Will Buy You A New Life’, which Alexakis reminded everybody was a song “not about money, but a song about love.” The evening ended with Everclear’s most recognisable song, the 1995 monster smash hit ‘Santa Monica’. This kicked off a mass sing-along and plenty of old blokes getting misty-eyed about their youth.
They might be a little older and a little slower, but Everclear brought the nostalgia vibes with a rocking set that proved just how good the ‘90s alt-rock scene was. I for one can’t wait to do it all again in two years when they bring So Much For The After Glow down under.
