Shambolic
Sydney Sonic Smorgasbord
Del
Emmas/High Society/Thurston Howlers/Challenger 7/Thermals/The Meek/Kinky
Friedman/The Monarchs/Knucklehead/The Hoax/The 9 Volts/Peabody/Mystery DJ/Rocket
Science/Lowdorados/Sheek the Shayk/D4
Been
pretty slack in the region of rock'n'roll reviews recently, so what follows
is a handful of thumbnail sketches in a pathetic and probably transparent
attempt to dispose of the backlog as expediently as possible. It's an epic
tale of disaster, devotion, disappointment and dogged determination, all with
the backing of a remarkable rock'n'roll soundtrack. Here are the bits that
I remember...
Friday 18th August:
Out to the Hopetoun Hotel mainly to catch the Del Emmas, an all girl
garage trash band with a Barbara Feldon/Betty Page stage presence, to whom
I've taken a bit of a fancy recently. Unfortunately it turns out that they've
cancelled at the last minute, much to the vocal displeasure of a couple of
guys in front of me (who were on their guest list, but now have to pay to
get in), but all is not lost as the emergency replacement is High Society,
Sydney's resident MC5 reincarnation, who do some solid covers (including a
sincere and brooding version of Birdman's "Breaks My Heart" - a pity they
missed out when the recent NoMango tribute was being put together)
and some good pastiches, although they don't open up a lot in the way of new
ground.
Main act for the night are the Thurston Howlers, but they are plagued
by technical difficulties, especially microphone problems, which means that
they start late, finish early and only progress in fits and starts in between,
much to their obvious annoyance (and mine).
Saturday 19th August:
Tonight the venue is the Green Square, where The Meek are opening for
Challenger 7. Last time they opened for the C7 (at the Duke), I got
there only to find that they'd started early (or rather on time, despite the
fact that NO ONE EVER starts on time) and their set was already finished.
This time I make sure I am there in plenty of time, only to find that they
aren't going on until over an hour after the advertised time. To make matters
worse the soundman, being left to his own devices, assaults our senses with
a loud and grating electro/techno/spasmo medley - at least I assume it's a
medley and not just the same track over and over (don't you hate it when you
find yourself starting to sound like your parents?). I can't imagine that
anyone other than the soundman likes it and why none of the organisers care
enough about the audience to stop him playing crap that is so obviously incompatible
with the music that everyone has come to hear will probably forever be one
of life's unexplained mysteries.
When the Meek come on they seem more hardcore and less Detroit than I remember
from the last time I actually got to see them play, but by this point I'd
be willing to have a leg amputated by a blunt kitchen knife without anaesthetic
just to take my mind off the techno, so their set is a blessed relief. Next
up are the Thermals. While the night is ostensibly headlined by Challenger
7, the Thermals have a strong (and deserved) personal following which seems
like it may even outnumber those who've come for Challenger 7 and though the
Thermals are a trifle ragged tonight, they still cook nicely enough to please
their fans, which includes me. They are supposed to have an EP in the works,
but there's been no sign of it yet.
Finally, Challenger 7 round off the night. I love these guys. Unfortunately
tonight they seem to have a few problems and the set is a relatively short
one, despite it being their last gig for a while as their drummer is g oing
overseas. However they do manage to cram in all their sure fire crowd pleasers
plus a selection from their recent "Payola" album, including the instant power
pop classic title track, and the cover of "Substitute" whi ch has become a
feature of their set recently and shows why many punters consider them an
exemplar of power pop/Detroit fusion.
Sunday 20th August:
Midnight Oil at the State Theatre, but I've written about that show
elsewhere.
Monday 21st August:
Off to the Basement, a venue which I loath, for an evening of mediocre food
delivered by slapdash, fuck you service and washed down with grossly overpriced
booze (and lots of it according to the Mastercard bill I've since found in
my pocket). There aren't too many acts I'm prepared to come here for, but
I'm sufficiently intrigued by the reputation of Kinky Friedman to swallow
my aversion, along with some $6.80 beers.
The Kinkster does not disappoint and although the leading edge of outright
offensiveness has moved on from where it was when he first achieved notoriety,
he remains an entertaining (and aggressively politically incorrect) songwriter
and speaker.
Wednesday 23rd August:
The Monarchs are at the Excelsior doing an "industry promotion" which
turns out to be free to the public. I arrive in time for what should be the
support act (Peabody), but just as I am getting my b eer at the bar
the Monarchs hit the stage, so I hasten into the back room without delay.
Mr Shepherd comes on strong right from the outset, testifying in righteous
MC5 fashion as a leadin to the opening "Give It Up For The Band". For me,
this is the highlight of their set.
They also do their single ("2001"), another song which they refer to as "radio
friendly" but which I find pretty dire (it doesn't altogether sound like their
hearts are in this one either) and a cover of "See Me, Touch Me" which starts
out sounding like it's being done as a joke but turns deadly serious and makes
for an interesting comparison with Challenger 7's relaxed and economical cover
of "Substitute" a few nights previously.
I'm still not completely convinced that their rock doesn't have a soft centre,
but they are starting to win me over through their perseverance and there's
no denying Mr Shepherd's enthusiasm and showmanship. (The Barman's take on
the night is here.)
Saturday 26th August:
In Melbourne, the Powdermonkeys are playing at the Corner Hotel in Richmond
along with not one but two lineups of Bored!, the Onyas and D4 from New Zealand.
Meanwhile, I'm in bed in Sydney with my third dose of the flu for the year
(and here was me a couple of years ago thinking that my congestive/respiratory
troubles were over now that I'd finally given up smoking...). No gigs for
me this weekend; I've got a date wi th several boxes of Kleenex and a vat
of Nyall decongestant.
Friday 1st September:
Musos sometimes refer to a type of show they like to call a "living room gig",
which apparently means the band plays as if they were just in front of a few
friends in someone's living room, rather th an in a "concert" venue in front
of paying punters, not sloppy so much as ultra, ultra relaxed, if you get
my drift. This seems to be the way Knucklehead approached their Green
Square show tonight, despite the fact that i t's their first time headlining.
Nevertheless, the style of their repertoire carries them through. When I call
this "driving music", I don't mean the stuck in peak hour traffic, being cut
off by aggressive middle-aged/men opausal secretaries in Japanese hatchbacks
done out in festive pastel shades kind of driving; I mean the late at night,
dark empty highway, well over the speed limit kind of driving... your elbow
out the open window, the radio blasting and only the occasional squeal of
some cute, nocturnal marsupial under your wheels to encroach on your concentration.
Step on the gas, boys!
Supports are 9 Volts, who rock solid but with a hint of some disturbing
big hair band undertones, and The Hoax, whose singer is grappling with
the flu but soldiers on like a true Aussie battler, which is more than I was
able to do last week.
Saturday 2nd September:
Back at the Hopetoun again. The support act is (are?) Peabody, who
I missed at the Monarchs gig and who make no secret of their admiration for
the Jam (or if they are trying to keep it a secret, th en they're not doing
a very good job). The "mystery" DJ turns out to be You Am I drummer Russell
Hopkinson, recently married so apparently needing to work a second job
(only joking Mr H), but at the very least this guarantees that there are no
inappropriate so und problems between sets, which is just as well as Rocket
Science establish a new state record, if not national record, for the
longest break without obvious cause between band sets at a pub gig.
While I still can't help feeling that Rocket Science are being a trifle oversold
and have yet to fully live up to their hype and despite having a reasonable
rhythm section they sometimes merely lumber when they should rise up and rock
(once again I can't avoid/resist comparing them to Swedish band Silverbullit),
I do nevertheless have a lot of time for their music, though once again the
theremin makes more of a contribution to their stage act than to their music
, seeming to me to be at its most tuneful when caressed at one point by a
stray hand from one of the punters down than front of the audience rather
than by the keyboard player.
Tonight's performance is obviously supposed to climax with a new bit of showmanship
as the singer/keyboard player launches himself off the stage and into the
audience, making his way to the back of the room and half way u p the stairs
to where a gadget of some sort has been gaffer taped to the banister and this
allows him to... well I guess I'll never know as it's clearly not working
and after thirty seconds of furious fiddling, partially assisted or hindered
by a roadie, he abandons the proposed surprise and forces his way back to
the stage in slightly embarrassed defeat.
Sunday 3rd September:
I'm at the Iron Duke and I'm here to see D4 from New Zealand, who after
their Melbourne show last week have been touted by some as being capable of
overshadowing the likes of Bored! and the Powdermonkeys, something which I
found difficult to believe when first I heard it and even more difficult to
believe now that I've heard them. Even so, they do put on a good show, playing
fast and furious (although both guitarists seem to be playing a lot more rhythm
than lead) in a range of styles from power pop to Detroit via new wave (the
good, almost punk new wave, not the wimpy new wave that took over the airwaves
once the big company mark eting maggots got onto it), enunciating the words
of the songs clearly (something of a rarity on stage these days) and throwing
in a little showmanship without sacrificing anything musically, though I suspect
the guitarist who tried to get up on top of his amp wouldn't have done so
if he'd realised just how low the ceiling was... I'm impressed, but not knocked
over.
Supports are the Lowdorados (their third name in as many months - they were
the Dirty Low last time I saw them and I had heard they'd became something
else, possibly with "tall" in its title, immediately after that), who rock
in a fierce, menacing sort of way and Sheek the Shayk who rock somewhat
more predictably (and I have to confess that I've grown pretty tired of the
Sheik's stage patter). And that's about all I can remember - shit, I must
be all caught up! Epileptic Pigmeez,
Upsets and Navahodads are at the Harp this coming Friday,
in the meantime I think I'll just have a couple of Bex and a bit of a lie
down.
-
John McPharlin
Overall beer rating? Lots: Rolling Rocks for sure, a couple of Coopers, a
XXXX for the boys from Brisbane and even a Tooheys for my seeing eye dog.