DENIZ TEK
THE MONARCHS
Bar Broadway, Sydney
March 31, 2000

A fleeting visit to Sydney by the ex-Radio Birdman and current Deep Reduction guitarist Deniz Tek provided the opportunity for his first shows here in a-year-and-a-half. The punters came from near and wide for the only city gig (the other being on the northern beaches). They weren't disappointed.

But first to the opening act, The Monarchs. The newish project for ex-Hoodoo Guru guitar-slinger Brad Shepherd, they've been playing shows around Sydney for about a year, to generally positive reaction. Shepherd was always known as the rocking ying to Dave Faulkner's pop yang in the Gurus, and a magic combination they did make, but there always seemed to be a frontman begging to get out whenever Brad stepped up for his obligatory turn at the microphone. It is truly A Good Thing to see him fronting his own combo.

I caught the back end of their set to be blown away by a rip roaring version of the Sonic's Rendezvous Band stomper "Earthy" (recently re-done in fine style by the Scott Morgan-fronted Hydromatics). The rest of the tuneage is in similar vein: Fearsome garage rockers with lashings of pop smarts. All are great players: Shepherd and Greg Hitchcock really set the sparks flying with their guitarwork and is there a better drummer than the younger Shepherd, Murray? They rocked right royally and carried it off at suitably loud volume with panache and style. They're currently shopping demo's. Catch 'em before they're huge.

It's old school week for The Iceman who's joined by the core line-up from the "Outside" album, Jim Dickson on bass and Nik Rieth on drums. Pip Hoyle's re-addition on keyboards is welcome, now he's back living in Australia, and had a lot to do with the choice of songs for these shows.

Plenty of other familiar faces from the Tek orbit are in the crowd to hear a set list drawn from just about every phase of his career. A varied road it's been and so is the selection: From a steaming "Agua Caliente" (making its live debut) to "Meantown Blues" (the Johnny Winter number played on the last Oz tour.) There's a brutal take on "Lunatics at the Edge of the World" and a version of "Ze Good Way" that's almost as sharp. Some inspired guitar work in "Torpedo Woman" and a driving "Searching" (the set opener) lift the roof on the place. And hearing "Love Kills" and "Christmas Eve" go new places live was worth the price of admission.

"Hondo's Dog" - the surfish instrumental from the "4/4 The Number of the Beat" EP - was a rare treat. I could have done with a "Rough Slide Drag" (the Pip line-up used to do it as a set opener, sans vocals) but "Brother John" burned to more than make up for its absence.

If you had to pick two Birdman tunes to include ­ and being Sydney, you had to ­ you couldn't do much better than "Love Kills" and "What Gives?". An earth-axis altering "Outside" closed the set proper.

It was had to believe that the band had put in just two rehearsals in the days immediately before the shows. Harder to believe, too, that they weren't playing a packed-to-the-gills Metro, but such is the sad state of the Sydney live scene (although everyone tells me it's improving.) The fact is, there are great live shows around these days ­ you just have to look harder to find 'em. And this was a great show, full of rippling intensity and delivered with passion and focus. A good judge tagged the gig "a slow burn" and I'm not about to argue. ­ The Barman

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