The Zoo played home to a variety of interstate acts as The Exploders (Melbourne), Red Jezebel (Perth) and The Mares (Sydney) this past Friday night, on the Brisbane leg of The Exploders’ Easy and the Sun tour.
The Mares kicked off proceedings with a tight set, and they played well, despite playing to a crowd that consisted of four intoxicated individuals who had dragged bar stools up to the front of the stage to sit and watch the set. These boys ooze indie rock and while they show similarities to many different acts, it is hard to pin them to one sound. Songs like Biscuit Tin (better known for its time spent on rotation at JJJ) went down well with the punters who were happy to hear a song they knew.
Enter Red Jezebel who are the next act onstage. This is a band that are very aware of their strengths in the live arena, the kind of strengths that stem from playing together for around the 10 year mark. They are a very tight live act and their songs translate well from CD to the stage. Despite wearing the exact same outfits that were on display last time they were in town, all of which have seen their fair share of stages in the past, the boys engaged well with the crowd. Catchy single Kicking Deadly Sins was easily the crowd favourite and the song which got the punters geared up the most.
Despite the fact that The Zoo was by no means sold out on the night, it didn’t seem to deter the audience from getting in to the vibe nor the performance of the main act, The Exploders. If anything, it was probably a good thing as when on full capacity the Zoo is known for its sauna-like conditions, to the point where people are jostling for a spot in front of a giant metal fan that will blow hot air back on you, or a rickety old window that is just as likely to come sliding shut on your head.
All things of this nature aside, The Exploders seem to have recruited a few extra soldiers for their live shows. Having recently lost a member they were down to two main members TJ and Paul, since then they have recruited Malcolm Clarke who is better known for his work drumming with The Sleepy Jackson (as well as side project From the Skies), and J.Cortez, these boys jumped onboard and have been playing along side TJ and Paul for the live shows.
The extra addition of these two was by no means detrimental – if anything, it was quite the opposite. On stage all elements really jelled nicely and allowed for an explosion of music that left punters tapping their toes and shaking their hair. This was especially true when the new single I Can’t Dance was played, followed directly by old time favourite Big Hair Revolution which managed to draw all of the remaining stragglers from the bar to the stage, where they remained until the end of the encore.
