THE
DICTATORSCELIBATE RIFLES
THE CASNAOVAS
August 24, 2002
The Crest Hotel, Sylvania, Sydney
THE
DICTATORS
CELIBATE RIFLES
THE CASNAOVAS
August 24, 2002
The Crest Hotel, Sylvania, Sydney
Word and Pictures: THE BARMAN
Another day, another Dictators show, this time at a former site of rock glory, mostly relegated to the cover band circuit these days.
What a year it's been for the live stuff...Radio Birdman and then the Dictators - and haven't the relative merits of those two caused some spirited comment amongst the fanatical? Of course, it's impossible to rate either in objective terms. It's all down to the mood and spirit that the music produces. Anyway, there are more immediate questions to answer. Could the live music year get any better? I'll get back to you. Could the Dictators top last night's show? Now that you ask...
The Casanovas really have conquered on this, their first visit to Sydney from Melbourne. They've also won a fan in Damien Lovelock and the Rifles singer was positioned side-of-stage for most of the opening band's set, a grin from ear-to-ear like some proud dad. Which, when you think of it, might not be far off the mark, the Rifles having a paternity stake in a helluva lot of youngish Oz bands. If the Casanovas want a producer for the (inevitable) debut album, I reckon Damo might be their man. For a three-piece, they crank out a fine sound. A little more stagecraft and you never know where they might go. Who the fuck are The Vines anyway?
It's another winning set by the Rifles - what else is new? - highlighted by a dip into the early days for a stinging "Ice Blue" and a frantic "Electravision Mantra" (a personal fave.) There's a pretty good "Chinese Rocks" in the set, especially for the Dictators. First song is Sonics Rendezvous Band's "Let's Do It Again" (from "Spaceman in a Satin Suit") which, by the way, you shouldn't expect to hear at the traditional Xmas show at which Lovelock reveals the band will play the entire "Heaven on a Stick" album. Only fitting that they'd drag out "Contemplating R.D. Laing (And the Bird of Paradise") tonight, then.
Cheers are in order for Mikey Couvret who's dislocated a finger. Damien jokingly asks if anyone has any smack...and points out someone in the crowd, allegedly standing next to a police officer. As for the Casanovas, they call for "Tick Tock" from the side of the stage. Maybe next time.
A smallish room like Sylvania is really the ideal place to experience a band like the Dictators. It's hard to believe that in its halcyon days, a slightly differently configured Sylvania packed in 800-plus punters for the bigger shows. There's a fair crowd in by the time the Rifles have finished and a deal of anticipation in the air. The atmosphere's charged, though the drunk in the men's toilet got some funny reactions at the trough when he announced: "I can't believe I'm going to see Handsome Dick tonight!"
Once again, "I Stand Tall" announces the presence of (old) gods. "New York, New York" and "Haircut and An Attitude" are aired early and the house goes apeshit. Manitoba's in a '91 Dictators tour T-shirt and mongrammed jacket tonight, knee braces visible under his long shorts which either indicates he's preared to mix it with the punters or he's embarking on an injury minimisation regimen after the previous evening's misadventures.
Mix it he does, three times mounting the crash barriers and venturing into the mosh pit. All the frontline players solo centimetres from the punters or break into spontaneous high-fives with the audience, taking time to spot various people they've met in the last few days on what's obviously been a very social tour.
Handsome Dick is a boundless ball of energy. If he's not mugging to the crowd, firing off quips and throwing bombs of bravado in that distinctive Brooklyn drawl or eyeballing some punter up close and personal, he's prowling the backline like a madman. He's still doing it hard, right till the end of the set. Witty and smart, he's an unsurpassable, magnetic frontman.
Tonight's "I Am Right" is built for speed, stripped of its mid-tune monolgue. "Next Big Thing" merits a reprisal of Manitoba's immortal "this is just a hobby for me" intro off "The Dictators Go Girl Crazy", from all those years ago. True, it is more or less a hobby for the owner of the Manhattan bar that carries his name (99 Avenue B, if you're in the area, and it's mucho recommended) but even hobbies can be all-consuming. These guys play like they mean it - and how. Evidence: A blistering take on "Faster and Louder".
The newer songs stand up just as well as the old classics. "Pussy and Money" gets a warm welcome, HDM declaring them the axis dual around which his world revolves (and the recently married Richard Blum's going to need more of the latter, with his first child on the way.) "It's Alright" isn't my fave cut from "DFFD" but Ross nails the solo nicely. Manitoba takes a breather for Andy Shernoff (the band's original vocalist) to take the spotlight for "What's Up With That?" which underscores what a fine singer he is.
Postioned for much of the night in front of Andy I'm struck by the rich, thick bass tone he pumps out and his simple, but solid playing. Bill Gibson's also staked out a similar position (we really have to stop meeting like this) and is suffering extensive bruising under his chin. It's not the legacy of some mugging or gig altercation but a direct result of (a.) having met Andy at the Town Hall Hotel the night before and (b.) his jaw hitting the floor after Andy told him his side project, The Master Plan, play The Eastern Dark's "Walking". Hopefully, it'll make it onto the forthcoming album.
Speaking of the engine room, what a drummer J.P. "Thunderbolt" Patterson is. Eschewing the Sydney Swans jumper of the night before for something a little less local, he's one of the hardest-hitting skinsmen to grace an Oz stage since, um, ex-Rifle Nik Rieth. J.P. really is an unsung star of the evening, belting out a fearsome backbeat. A killer drummer who's unaffected too - he spends much of his pre-gig time checking out the supports.
It's largely the same set from the previous gig with a few variations. One of them is a smoking "Search and Destroy" (apparently played at Manly). There's a rip-roaring "Avenue A", a fiery *(sorry) "Burn Baby Burn" dedicated to the guy who hosted the band to a barbecue the day of the show (no tofu for these 'Tators).
"Blitzkrieg Bop" remains in the set and "Stay With Me" is simply gold-plated, rocking pop perfection. If you told me Andy Shernoff once wrote an ordinary song, I'm not going to believe it.
Was it possible to top the previous night? It was and they did, though when you're talking a show of this calibre it's all by small degrees.I realised this morning - as I drank Coca Cola for breakfast, of course - that we waited 28 years for this to happen. Let's not make us wait so long for a return visit guys, OK?
(plus whatever you're drinking)
