SIN CITY
+ THE GIMMIES
+ THE SPAZZYS
Tote Hotel, Collingwood
Tuesday July 12, 2005

By PATRICK EMERY

The Tote Hotel has been organising 'Rock Against Work' gigs for many years now. Once upon a time getting to a gig at 6pm to see a slab of bands starting at 6.30pm would've been the perfect post-work activity. These days getting to a gig before 8.30pm requires a superhuman – and superdomestic – effort.

So unfortunately I missed Mach Pelican's opening set (they were due originally to play at 6.30pm, but I think didn't play until at least 7pm), but I did manage to see the last few songs of Sin City's set. This was first time that I'd (consciously) seen Sin City – their set went down a treat, particularly when the lead singer explained that the band was heavily hampered by sickness and it was a achievement merely getting on stage without being drenched in phlegm. As for the band's sound ... there were bits of Runaways, New York Dolls and anything with a nominal hard rockin' label. It was tight, it was tough and it pleased the crowd. Local public radio icon Kev Lobotomi found his way on stage – complete with half consumed Cooper's Pale Ale – for some boozy baritone harmonies, giving a community feeling that's always well received at The Tote.

Next up were The Gimmies. While The Gimmies' album might be to everyone's tastes, their enthusiasm for the best in rock attitude is without question. The Gimmies' influences are quite literally tattooed on their person (the drummer has a Birdman tattoo on his hand, and on his back), and their PR material makes much of their spiritual affiliation with Australia. Like Guitar Wolf, The Gimmies speak that unique Australian dialect called Rock'n'Roll English, which consists primarily of "hey", "yeah" and "rock'n'roll". But nobody came along tonight to hear a sermon from the stage; what we came for was loud, brutal garage rock and The Gimmies gave it to us in spades.

The Gimmies adopt a rock formula that will either inspire or tire the listener. Tonight that formula was practised with skill, determination and boundless energy – "Live On in 16 Shadows" was a personal highlight, while the only problem with the version of "New Race" was its placement in the middle of the set (it's duty bound to appear later in the set, surely). But without a skerrick of doubt, the night belonged to the drummer (whose name eludes me), who demonstrated the Moonsian ability to find half a second of near silence plug with drum fills with breathless accuracy – it's quite simply a pleasure to see anything like that. The band's departure from the stage was greeted with a roar of applause, and a guarantee that they'll be welcomed back to our shores with open arms, and open beers.

Last up were The Spazzys (playing under the nom de plume Cosy Hobos). The first time I saw The Spazzys they were as erratic and juvenile as their name suggests; each subsequent viewing has shown to be up a notch. Their brand of music is fast and frenetic; and compared to The Donnas' increasing pisspoor attitude and performance, their relative standing is on the up and up. Tonight's set however wasn't the quantum leap I was expecting; nothing bad about the set, it just was a slight let down from the fury of The Gimmies. We got the Ramones-Shangri Las girl garage pop of "Paco Doesn't Love Me" and plenty of other spirited songs – including a cover of The Hoodoo Gurus' "I Want You Back" (which, while very well received, was clearly in need of refinement).

But in hindsight the issue with The Spazzys wasn't them, it was The Gimmies. Quite simply, they blew all off the stage and that was that. I look forward to seeing them again very soon.

 

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