RADIO BIRDMAN
LIPSTICK KILLERS
The Metro Theatre
May 23, 2002
WORDS: The Barman
PICTURES: John McPharlin
What can I say? The perfect bill and Sydney's best large venue to start the
ball rolling on Birdman's farewell tour. If this was any indication, it's going
to be a rewarding ride for anyone lucky enough to have snagged tickets for a
round of almost entirely sold-out shows.
And the fans came out of the woodwork - by car, by bus, by plane by any means
possible - to be here tonight. Your Barman was joined pre-show (at a Bar, natch)
by fellow Netizens from as far afield as Noumea (Gilles and his bro'), France
(www.radiobirdman.com webmaster Gregory "Birdman" Bowen), Montana
(occasional I-94 contributor Ron Sanchez and wife Karen), California ("Scram"
zine/Scramarama Festival honcho Kim Cooper) and Brisbane (Divine Riter Angie.)
With more travellers incoming from places like London and San Diego, it's clear
the buzz was out.
The Metro is a big place by local standards, with a capacity of 1200 or so.
Great sightlines (it's tiered decking), great sound and a big stage make it
the best place to see a live act in these days of diminishing venues. It was
bulging by the time the Lipstick Killers took the stage at the strangely early
hour of 8.30pm. The word was not to be late and their presence on the bill was
going to make for a dynamic coupling.
Dead and buried since 1981, the Lipstick Killers have reformed only sporadically
(1989 and 2001), though the majority of members did do the 60s punk thing with
the wonderful Dr Stone around Sydney in the mid-'90s. Birdman alumni and Visitors
singer Mark Sisto summed it up best pre-show when he opined that the Lipstick
Killers had (have) the perfect mix of vulnerability and swagger. Musically,
they're edgy and fast and tonight they delivered a blistering one-hour set peppered
with old explosions of energy like "Liquor Fit" and "Doll's House"
and "Bully" and a sprinkling of new ones that could become as loved.
Mark
Taylor peeled off buzzsaw riff upon riff and angular leads while Mick Charles
and Steven Mather nailed the frenetic beat with aplomb. Vocalist Peter Tillman
dragged out his Dr Stone gold chains (but sans the bowl cut wig) and preached
to the converted as only he can. Several stints on the floor and atop the crash
barrier should have taken it out of him but he kept being sucked back into the
vortex of energy the crowd generated to ride the rock beast home. The word from
guitarist Mark Taylor is they're enjoying themselves so much that we might expect
the occasional gig from time to time (when the schedules and geography of various
members concur.) Let's hope so on the strength of this.
Anticipation builds as the appointed starting time draws near. Then the Birdmen
arrive, Dr Tek leading the way and clutching his white Epiphone Crestwood like
he means business. "Hangin' On" sizzles with a menacing Chris Masuak
lead and the roar goes up. The set gathers momentum and a barrage of classics
roll out. Despite pre-gig reservations, Rob Younger is on his game tonight.
Just to prove he's not too rusty, so is drummer Ron Keeley. New bassist Gentleman
Jim Dickson slips into Warwick Gilbert's shoes with nary a problem (excepting
a bass head that goes kaput at one stage - who said life wasn't meant to be
easy?) Warwick himself is in the audience with wife Julie Mostyn, has his own
"Cryin' Sun" dedicated to him by Deniz, and later gives his seal of
approval to the whole shebang.
"What Gives?" brings the house down. "Man With Golden Helmet"
goes places that no-one expects. "New Race" lifts the roof (and 1200
fists in salute), as does "Aloha Steve 'n' Danno".) "Birdman"
Bowen is wearing an ear-to-ear grin while the Sanchezes are blown away. First
shows of tours don;t get much better than this.
Drummer, album cover artiste and all round Oz Rock philosopher Ashley Thomson
nails it when he ventures that Birdman is no mere nostalgia trip (although there's
plenty of that in the air.) This is a band that's real and, although bound by
its own strictures and rituals, still manages to push the boundaries and play
familiar songs in different ways. Just to keep it fresh, tonight Birdman reels
out three surprise covers - the hitherto never played Masters Apprecntices'
"Buried and Dead" (a killer version that snarls), a coiled-up "Down
on the Street" and Blue Oyster Cult's "Transmaniacon MC" (in
their set list during their middle days in the '70s but slowed down to raise
the temperature.) There are a couple more curly ones in the pipeline for the
shows to come.
There are also semi-solid plans to spend a day in a Melbourne studio to cut
a single with a likely collaborative original on one side and a cover on the
other. Watch this space and if you don't have a ticket for at least one of the
remaining shows, correct that error or weep.
