The Fauves @ Transit Bar,Canberra, (18/12/08)

Sun 21st Dec, 2008 in Gig Reviews

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As part of a mini tour celebrating 20 years, The Fauves included Canberra on the list after a prolonged absence from the Capital, putting on a humorous and nostalgic performance at the Transit Bar. With no support acts scheduled for the evening, the usual Transit Bar DJ filled in as the numbers swelled throughout the course of the night.

The Fauves, arguably best known for the track Dogs Are the Best People (which incidentally was not part of the set list) played in a three piece capacity due to the Doctor (Phil) being unable to make it to Canberra from Melbourne in time for the show. The omission was initially disappointing but turned out to enhance the entertainment value of the show as they were determined to put on a decent spread of their repertoire, employing Doug (drums), Andrew (lead vocals shared with the Doctor) and Tim (bass) for the Doctor’s tracks.

It was amusing to observe Tim squirm when he attempted to remember the lyrics to Doctor’s songs, exuding a lack of confidence to adequately perform and apologising profusely to the audience. Along with the crowd’s cheers, Andrew encouraged Tim and said “Wonderful Job. We’ll have a screaming match about it in the hotel later but for now wonderful job”. It seemed that Andrew was fairly upbeat about the Doctor not being there as Tim revealed that he has been dying to get his hands on Doctor’s song when it was his turn to fill in. Moving through the Doctor’s songs, Doug’s lead vocal duties were suitably matched for the marvellous track Medium Pacer. Despite its success by the crowd’s account, Doug apologised and swore to never sing again. One enthused crowd member remarked “that was a raucous”, though certainly the audience member meant it in a positive way because it really was great to see the three of them embrace the tracks of their missing friend. The threesome spoke of the Doctor often between tracks before pointing out that they don’t usually talk about him as much when he is present because he is quite dull. The group is renowned for their comedic genius (just check out their home page for a taste) and their dry humour was effective on the Canberra crowd who chuckled frequently at the banter.

The turn out for the show was strong and it was pleasing to see genuine fans in the mix, singing along to all the tracks and dancing at the side of the stage. Andrew confessed their negligence in not frequenting the capital more often as they consider themselves to be smart arse undergraduate types, adding “we think we are playing in front of our home crowd tonight quite frankly”.

The set included many a classic Aussie hit, most notably Celebrate the Failure and several tracks from their 1998 Album Lazy Highways, which Andrew likened its popularity to the baby bonus and the first home owners grant. Tunes from When Good Times Go Good were also featured providing enough material for a lengthy and enjoyable set. The band avoided the nuisance of an encore by finishing up with Give Up Your Day Job, leaving the crowd wanting more but nevertheless satisfied with The Fauves’ return.