X Blitz The Basement
X @ The Basement, Sydney, December 9, 2002
As any Australian over the age of 35 who has a serious interest in rock
and roll knows, X are one of those local "punk" bands who deserved,
and failed, to become world famous along with the bands that came out of CBGBs.
Overshadowed by the L.A. outfit of the same name, core members Ian Rilen and
Steve Lucas toiled away in Sydney and Melbourne, following the muse through
different line-ups toward this milestone, their Silver Jubilee, which Lucas
refers to as "the excuse" for the now launched series of festivities.
The Basement show was billed as "Unplugged", a notion born of an in-joke.
X acoustic is an oxymoron of sorts, and so the tag is meant to both tease and
to signify a renewed band, new arrangements, and a slightly more mature amp
setting. As unpredictable as always, X, dressed in gangster and moll '30s theme,
re-created two sets of standards and five newly recorded songs - which will
appear on a CD slated for next year - with an impressive selection of special
guests. Fourplay's hard rocking classicists Lara, Peter and Veren took X to
bold new heights on violin, cello, and viola respectively. Jason Morphett added
a howling, virtuosic sax, Johnny Gauci contributed accordion and a hammering
Hammond, and Geoff Holmes, ex-X member, chimed in with cyclonic guitar. Clinton
Walker, author, broadcaster, and X fan played MC, opening the 25th anniversary
celebrations with the observation that "when X formed people thought Ian
Rilen wouldn't make it to 25 himself". But, both the band and Rilen have
miraculously confounded expectations.
Thanking the audience for attending on behalf of "my husband and I",
Lucas gave a nod to one of the most enduring musical marriages in the country.
Clearly, Rilen and Lucas know that there's nothing cooler than a female drummer
nailing the beat to the floor, and so they have recruited Kathy Synnerdahl to
replace Cath Green, who was unable to commit to the revived X. Synnerdahl fits
perfectly and their sound has jelled into a solid and joyous incarnation that
adds sparkle while retaining the essential elements of traditional X.
From rocking blues like "You Really Don't Care", which combines Rilen's
guttural growl with Lucas's soulful onslaught of a voice, to full throttle,
full flight songs like the ultra-classic "I Don't Wanna Go Out", X
played with an remarkable mix of seasoned authority and evergreen force. The
appearance of one of their favourite covers proved once again that only a singer
of raw power such as Lucas can handle a primal scream of a song like John Lennon's
"Mother". Other highlights included "T.V. Glue" and the
devastating rock and roll ballad "Don't Cry, No Tears". "El Salvador"
weaved hypnotic guitar, a Joy Divisionish backbeat, and a Rilen/Lucas joint
vocal to transcendent effect, and new song "Hey You" captured X at
its anthemic best.
In between sets Walker invited the audience to share X stories. Lucas's sister
recalled how in the early days Lucas would use a mop in a bucket as a makeshift
mic stand at rehearsals, and a friend, who had seen some of their earliest shows
when Lucas used to sing on a bar for lack of a stage, told me how, unable to
afford proper posters, the band splashed huge Xs on sheets of newspaper, adding
the place and date of a show. The stories confirmed what we already know; X
had punk attitude and a great garage rock sound decades before record execs
decided they were selling points, and sell or no they still do.
