Venue: The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Date: 17th December 2010
Reviewed By: Danelle Lee
The Break was a great draw for the night with three of its members being from the Oils, Rob Hirst: drums, Martin Rotsey: guitar and Jim Moginie on guitar and Theremin. Lead singer Brian Ritchie is from the Violent Femmes and just to add to the gold they occasionally brought on Jack Howard: trumpet from Hunters and Collectors. Throughout the set we were treated to black and white projections onto the back wall of massive breaks; 70’s beach scenes showcasing girls in bikinis and all occasionally interspersed with filmic scenes such as ‘The Monster from the Black Lagoon’. This heady mix created the perfect environment for The Break’s heady psychedelic surfer music.
We were eased into the set with Cylinders and Five Rocks which was when we really got our first taste of the eerie and seductive charms of Moginie on the Theremin evoking the full sonic force of The Break. It was nice to hear the band play a few Midnight Oil songs like Eye Contact and Wedding Cake Island. Highlights were, Hirst’s drum solo during Phobos Grunt and a classic cover of Miserlou.
To get a real sense of what this sold out gig for Hoodoo Gurus was like, I have to set the scene. The Hoodoo Gurus have been around for three decades and are a part of Australia’s iconic music history. In that time the band have racked up a fair following of all ages from; the sweaty bogan boys in front of me, bouncing and falling over themselves planting fat sloppy kisses of bro lust on each other to the two silver foxes bobbing and singing along behind me.
Hoodoos opened the set with the heavy rifts and hard base beats of What’s in it for me from their new album Purity of Essence. This launched the band into a set that did not disappoint old and new fans alike playing a cross section of songs that covered three decades and nine studio albums. After a nearly six year album hiatus, Dave Faulkner and Brad Shepherd’s recognisable harmonies and vocals and Brad Kingsmill’s solid drum beats lifted the crowd into a moshpit frenzy, especially with old favourites like Come Anytime, What’s My Scene and Axe Grinder. California was a bit of a let down and was very close to the end of the set and I’m not sure if Faulkner’s faux walk off stage before the encore contributed to this.
However, like the seasoned professionals they are, they recovered quickly and what ensued was a powerful Crackin Up - the first song on their new album and a dramatic Wow- Like Wipe-out which was all tied together with confetti guns. So in true Aussie style the concert finished with one of the bogan boys in front picking a handful of confetti out of my friend's ample bosom.
as seen at www.thedwarf.com.au
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