Disappointment loomed as people pulled up to The Metropolis to find lines past the Sail and Anchor moving at cafeteria speed. As cold as it was, people were still willing to line-up to watch the band of their choice. The Bones and Skin tour has sold out four shows, revisiting previous albums and Too B or not Too B, (which has a mix of unreleased songs and EP tracks) before Kisschasy embark on their first tour of America.
Up first was one quarter of the Boomtown Army, The Getaway Plan. There were high expectations of this band from Melbourne, known for their part screamo – part punk anthems which gained a huge following on their Other Voices, Other Rooms tour. Starting with the slow and steady A Lover’s Complaint they played to ladies with adoring eyes and batting eyelashes. Not stopping for breath, they dove straight into Shadows from their first album, after which guitarist and lead singer Matthew Wright advised, “Don’t eat Mexican food before a show. It hurts.” If it hurt though, it wasn’t affecting his performance. Perhaps the pain gives him his ability to scream at a pitch higher than most males could. Finishing off with the popular Where the City Meets the Sea, we finally saw some movement in the audience.
Sound effect sirens blared and blue lights flashed to welcome the Californian-cum-Texan rock band The Donnas Better know as the Prom Band from teen flick Drive Me Crazy, they played a mixture of songs from their seven album back catalogue. Guitarist Alison Robertson, bassist Maya Ford and drummer Torry Castellano took to the stage to launch into the intro of title track Bitchin’ off the album of the same name as lead singer Brett Anderson followed behind, shaking her hips like it was the fourth of July.
No time to talk as they played old favourite Who Invited You? which saw Anderson lean in for a friendly kiss on the cheek with Robertson. When a fan cried, “Where’s the after party?”, Anderson answered with a cheeky, “In your pants bro!”, sparking laughter from the audience and the band. Finishing off their set with 5 O’clock in the Morning they were joined by Kisschasy’s guitarist Sean Thomas who casually slipped onto the stage to guitar-battle Robertson. After the song there were hugs for all as they said their last goodbyes. Sure these southern belles sound like they’re still full of teen angst from their The Electrocutes days but they can hold their own on a tour full of boys.
The room once again lit up with spot lights much to the disapproval of the hundreds of eyes on the floor and the balcony. As if the switching-on of the lights were a signal to talk, the whole room broke out with voices. Not knowing what to do, many people just stood starring at the roadies.
The moment everyone had been waiting for arrived as the lights went out. A loud heartbeat increased in speed until the band entered the stage, guitars in hand, ready to get into My Bible is a Scrapbook. Having had enough time to learn the songs off Hymns for the Nonbeliever the crowd was able to sing along to every word, much to the pleasure of the band. During The Perfect Way to Meet, Darren Cordeux (ever the joker) made a reference to his infamous dental dilemma, changing the lyrics “…grind my fucking teeth.” to “…grind my crooked teeth.” striking smiles all around. The gathering was also treated to acoustic solos by Cordeux, such as the lover’s hymn; The Shake which gets you feeling like you should be waving a lighter in the air. Finishing their set with Opinions Won’t Keep You Warm at Night the radio flogged single, they left the stage to gather themselves for the finale.
Out of the darkness a backlight shone to reveal drummer Karl Ammitzboll in all his sweatiness. Tapping out the first few beats of the song garnered screams of enthusiasm as the whole band returned to the stage for an encore of Spray On Pants in which Cordeux lead the audience in spirit fingers to start the song off. Half way through he exits off the side of the stage leaving bassist Joel Vanderuit, Thomas and Ammitzboll carrying the clapable tune, returning with audience members, members of The Getaway Plan and roadies for a final dance.
Ever the showman, Thomas could be seen jumping off speakers and posing with his guitar in rock star style. With the spraying of beer and the salutes of goodbye the stage emptied slowly and the room rustled with noise from patrons exiting the venue.
Looking around at the audience that night you would suspect that the only people who really enjoyed the scene were the few people up the front waving their arms and jumping about whilst everyone else stood/sat idle, which raises the question; When did live music become a spectator sport?
