Mojo's Bar (Freo), Sat 26th Nov 2005, Movember For Canteen Benefit

Similarly, The M-16's tore through their set with precision and balls, leaving you feeling at the very least inspired. This set showed off everything that makes The M-16's a killer band, and no matter which member your ears locked onto at any point in their set, everyone was on fire. Ken Watt's vocals were as spot on as they have ever been, and his preferred weapon (that bearing six strings) was wailing note-for-note perfect. A cool use of reverb'y effects is either a new addition to The M-16's or one that usually doesn't come through in the mix, but there were times when the band stripped things back and the guitars got more washy, that truly made the set. Of course the majority of their tunes are flat-knacker rock 'n' roll, and in this capacity the haste at which the band played through their setlist made it seem all the more forceful and brutal. In a world where the term rock 'n' roll is being misused as fragrantly as the word 'punk', The M-16's offer a dose of what others only claim to have; reality. Fuckin' tops!

- Mike Wafer, Xpress Magazine (Click to read the whole review)

Amplifier Bar (Perth), Sat 4th June 2005, Light The Fuse CD Launch

Anyone with a soft spot for straight up rock 'n' roll, or a curiosity to have a crack at tinnitus, got themselves a chubby at the prospect of seeing The M-16's, Fourstroke and The Volcanics on the one bill. After all, it's been a long time since such a lineup was an option in Perth, and will probably be longer still until it happens again, so the Light The Fuse CD launch was, more or less, a treat.

In true M-16's fashion, the night opened with a bang. The musical equivalent of wearing two fighter jet engines as earplugs, The M-16's exceed both the decibel and intensity thresholds of the human body, and do so with some serious moves. Ken Watt has to have one of the most exciting voices in rock 'n' roll at the moment, and with a band that is made up of some exceptional musicians, The M-16's' mark is well and truly potent. Though he is undeniably the frontman, Watt's bandmates are certainly not off in the shadows, and on this night in particular, where spirits were soaring and everyone in the band at some point made it to the front of the stage, they were a solid, unshakable unit. The guest appearance by James Baker on drums for Television Addict was, shall we say, a little plagued, but memorable and a great gesture nonetheless, and showed just how well (and in such good humour) The M-16's can keep things together....

The Light The Fuse also launch illustrated an interesting point about the Perth rock 'n' roll scene that has been a slow evolution in the making; the audience is starting to get younger. This is a sure sign of outreaching influence. Whereas early on the majority of attendees for M-16's and Volcanics shows were people old enough to remember what Perth rock 'n' roll used to sound like, now there is an almost even mix of the veterans and the rookies, who are embracing the traditional as the contemporary.

Between The M-16's and The Volcanics there is also an amazing camaraderie, made particularly special on an occasion such as this one, and a DIY ethic that salutes independence, and extends a middle finger to the complacent. Musically this spirit translates into raw, yet honed, energy, of which these bands have a seemingly limitless supply. The eventual size of the audience indicated that the appeal of this approach is growing exponentially, and graciously the bands gave their all to confirm why so many people have faith in these acts. It's not too bloated to say that there is a certain level of pride Perth punters feel for bands that actually seem to give a fuck, and with the homage that is Light The Fuse, the pride felt by the bands for their home town is more than obvious. As it always has been, the lure for both Perth punters and bands to shift to the larger metropolises is significant, but tonight's performance really did stress the dismissive-ness in the rhetoric of 'why would you want to live anywhere else?'

- Mike Wafer, Xpress Magazine (Click to read the whole review)

Annadale Hotel (Syd), Sun 18th July 2004, supporting Asteroid B6-12

The evening was defined by furious, tumbling, rowdy and clamorous rock 'n' roll...

But when The M-16's launched their rock 'n' roll missile I suddenly couldn't give a rat's ass how many teeth a shark had. Poised like soldiers with an army of amps behind them, The M-16's produce a massive wall of sound, the result of tight, focussed energy. Frontman Ken's searing vocals gave everyone a boot up the arse and if that wasn't enough to hold your attention watching him strut around in sexy, tight red tight pants Robert Plant would have been jealous of certainly could captivate anyone. The drummer pounded away all night so furiously I wasn't surprised to notice a chunk missing from one of his cymbols. During the last song we witnessed an epic battle between two lead guitars and hey, the enormous screcendo may have been a bit over the top but it was rock 'n' roll baby.

Watching Asteroid B612 afterwards was a bit of a letdown. They just didn't have the same vibrancy of The M-16's...

- Aimme Lee Curran, Drum Media

Click here to read the whole review

By the time The M-16's hit the stage, a fair crowd had started to build. God knows, it was cold enough to freeze a warm bottle of piss outside, so why not catch these out-of-towners?

The M-16's are from Perth and have a bit of a buzz about them. Drawing their more obvious cues from Sonic's Rendezvous Band and the Hellacopters, they have a fab mini-album ("Loose Bullets") out on Reverberation that's worth checking out if you're a fan of either of those precursors. Mainman "Killer" Ken Watt is a former Asteroid B612 member too, which makes tonight's pairing of both their bands a nice fit.

The thing, other than their mini-album, that preceded The M-16s' arrival in Sydney was their reputation for being volume freaks. Tales abound of a show in Western Australia so sonically ferocious that it caused roadies to take flight. (I'm old enough to remember the days when nothing but a knock on the door from the Drug Squad or the Dole Police would have had the same impact). Fortunately, tonight, someone convinced the band to turn down. Just a shade. It's loud, but there's no need for ear plugs (not that I ever remember to bring any).

It's a short but finely-honed set of no-nonsense rock and roll. The "Loose Bullets" songs are churned out - as is an Asteroids cover, fittingly enough (don't ask me which one - it's a week later now and shame on me for not grabbing a set list).

It's as precise as a cruise missile and almost as powerful. The M-16's pack a huge punch and there's not a wasted note. Spiffy, the ex-Hellmen member, is part of the band for this tour on second guitar and fills out the sound superbly, but it's obviously Killer's outfit and he reels out some sterling lead-play.

In the end, the memorability of the songs may not quite match their forebears like Sonic and Co, but The M-16's still wipe the floor with most bands of their ilk. A full-length album is definitely in order. I even heard the words "Brother Brick" uttered by an appreciative punter and that's a fair call. Ironic too, as both that band and The M-16's contain ex-Asteroid B612 members, plus they are/were both capable of similar levels of aural assault and battery.

- The Barman, The I-94 Bar

Click here to read the whole review