RADIO BIRDMAN
+ THE D4
The Corner Hotel, Richmond
May 31, 2002

RADIO BIRDMAN
+ HOSS
+ THE GREASY HAWAIIANS
Prince of Wales, St Kilda
June 1, 2002

WORDS: The Barman
PICTURES: John McPharlin

Now it's almost over (I'm absenting myself from Adelaide but will make the final gig in Sydney), it's time to put some sort of lid on Radio Birdman's 2002 Australian Tour. If you're reading this overseas, you'll be spitting chips that (a.) it's been billed as a farewell and (b.) the planned Euro trip never came off (coming as it did with the slightest possibility of US dates as well.) The first thing to say is that it ain't over till it's over, and don't be surprised to see more Radio-activity in the near future. Everyone's enjoying it and getting along just fine. The second statement that needs to be put on the record is that these shows have been done with real integrity. Birdman is, in some respects, trapped by public expectations but this has been no hack band going through the motions for cash. Far from it. The fire has been palpable, and white hot on occasions.

The wash up is that the Melbourne leg was an unqualified success with the band in even sharper form than in Sydney (if that's possible.) Now I wasn't the soberest man in the 750-strong crowd (alcohol will do that to you) but I can tell you that the Corner Hotel show lasted almost two hours with 25 blistering songs. I can swear on that because I grabbed a set list. "Do the Pop" continues to take on new levels of aggression while, of the covers, "Buried and Dead" fits so well mid-set that you'd think it was their own. (It's such a good choice that the band goes on to record it, along with a Tek original and a take on the Coop's "Ballad of Dwight Fry" the very next afternoon.) "Down on the Street" stops the crowd dead. "Waitin' for the Man" also returns. It's almost as if, having decided there was insufficient time to work up new original material, the band opted to do the next best thing and introduce other peoples' songs that they'd never touched before. As a device to freshen things up, it works a treat, and there's enough variation in the tried-and-tested tunes to blow away any accusations of spending too much time on old ground.

Mention must be made of the support act, New Zealand's D4. I'm still coming to grips with the names of the songs from their excellent debut album "6Twenty", but they're of a style to please any punter with a taste for the hard-and-fast, knock 'em down rock 'n' roll that we rave avout in the I-94 Bar. The D4 eschew subtlety in any form and go high-kicking and arm-twirling all over rock's track record. That's a Heartbreakers pun (a weak one) if you didn't notice but at least it segues seamlessly into a mention of their cover of "Pirate Love". Catch the self-penned "Party" next time they're in town - this band sounds just like one. There's a buzz about these boys in Europe and the UK - let's hope it's not fatal. This is their only date (en route to London) but they're back in Oz in August.

SET LIST: Hangin' On, Burn My Eye, Smith & Wesson Blues, Do the Pop!, Anglo Girl Desire, More Fun, Love Kills, Aloha Steve and Danno, Buried and Dead, Murder City Nights, Cryin' Sun, Snake, Breaks My Heart, 455SD, Hand of Law, What Gives?, Non-Stop Girls, Descent into the Maelstrom, Man with Golden Helmet, Transmanicon MC, New Race. Encores: Down on the Street, I-94, Waitin' for the Man, You're Gonna Miss Me.

It was an inspired show by the headliners but there's better to come the night after. A working day and a few beers later, I'm meeting I-94 Bar staffer John McP who's just finished draining some Coopers with Charlie Owen for a forthcoming interview. We take in some of St Kilda's finest attractions (the trams, the bowling club) before hooking up with a host of Divine Riters at the Prince.

It's my first time inside this legendary venue. To rate its lower bars as unattractive is an understatement. One is a concrete-floored box full of techno, while the other is a sparse, shell of a room with all the ambience of a concrete trough. At least the upstairs band room is big and functional (apart from the pole, strategically placed mid-room and front-of-stage) and there's no problem getting a beer (although the myriad mirror balls hanging from the roof invoke a need to reach for a shotgun.) I also overhear a punter recalling HIS first time here: A couple doing some horizontal folk dancing on the floor of the men's toilet, someone snorting something off the only available toilet seat and him having to take a dump in the urinal.

A group of us have settled in for the supports. First up are the Greasy Hawaiians who are a surf band. They do it well, with little in the way of showy pretension or gloss. The only concession to vocalising (apart from in-between song patter) is in "Secret Agent Man" where the main refrain is changed to "Radio Birdman". Cute.

Cute's not the epithet for Hoss, returning to sporadic gigging in and around Melbourne town. Joel Silbersher is an engaging frontman and a true vet of the local scene who visits Sydney far too rarely. I have to admit a lack of familiarity with most of their set, having only recently fleshed out my Hoss collection, but it's a more than satisfying 50 minutes of guitar raunch. I think Noise for Heroes/NKVD Records honcho Steve Gardner called them "Stones-meets-the-Sabbs" and it will do me. I'd add that there's more than a nod towards the Coloured Balls (short haircuts and all). Jimmy Sfetsos, I believe it is, on guitar rips out some stinging lead work, while a tune I probably mistake for "Too Much Sugar" peels paint off the roof. A sprawling, rough-hewn set. Rough but righteous.

But of course they can't be expected to match the Birdmen who pull off a high-volume, high-intensity set that's the best I've caught to date. "Hangin' On" is the opener, "You're Gonna Miss Me" the curtain-lowerer, and what lies inbetween is simply spectacular. The mutant "Stray Cat Blues" makes its way back into the playlist and we're blessed for its presence. "Snake" makes a rare tour appearance and slithers out just fine. "Anglo Girl Desire" and "New Race" are stand-outs, while "Aloha" now rates a simulated wave-breaking intro and is deadly.

The mix is spot-on with plenty of Pip. Chris Masuak discards the cowskin jacket and floppy hat of Brisbane and Sydney for shaved head and wraparound shades, turning on some fine soloing with the ample chances he's granted. (Democracy rules.) Rob's intensity is on with plenty of laser-burning stares. Deniz is in his element while Jim Dickson and Ron Keeley lock into a rare groove. (Those in the know say there was the odd missed change but any such errors were imperceptible to 99 percent of those in the room.)

There's a long line of liggers, Melbourne rock royalty and friends milling about back stage as the band de-compress and swap batter until the early hours. There's a crisp bite in the Melbourne air and a ringing in The Barman's ears as I hail a cab about 3am and disappear into the night in preparation for an early flight to Sydney. It doesn't get any better than this, does it? - The Barman

SET LIST: Hangin' On, Burn My Eye, Anglo Girl Desire, More Fun, Do the Pop!, Love Kills, Aloha Steve and Danno, Buried and Dead, Breaks My Heart, Smith and Wesson Blues, Snake, 455SD, Stray Cat Blues, All Alone in the Endzone, Dark Surprise, I-94, What Gives?, Non Stop Girls, Descent into the Maelstrom, Man with Golden Helmet, Transmanicon MC, New Race. Encores: Down on the Street, Hand of Law, Waitin' for the Man, You're Gonna Miss Me.

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