SPOD and Totally Michael @Transit Bar, Canberra(14/01/09)

Sat 17th Jan, 2009 in Gig Reviews

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One of the hottest evenings of the year was only made hotter by some of the kewlest dudes touring Australia at the moment. SPOD and Totally Michael teamed up to bring just plain old fun and excitement to the Transit Bar to a small but enthusiastic crowd with their crazy mix of hip hop, rock, electro stylin’.

Hitting it solo first up was the totally amazing Totally Michael. A little surprised at first by the one-man show, everyone soon got into it. With his electric guitar accompanied by a backing track of shameless pop sounds and sampled tunes including I Kissed A Girl and a bit of R&B from Boyz II Men, the crowd couldn’t keep still for long. Even Rod Stewart featured between tracks.

Rejecting the stage, Totally Michael opted for the dance floor to free style with the dancing fans. Shouting out “You got it Australia” and a whole lot of “Oh my God!” gave everyone the impression that Totally Michael is not from these lands. Fresh out of the US, Totally Michael has been brought out to Australia for the first time by Australian label Pop Frenzy, forking out the cash to invest in a series of shows across the nation.

Having already played in Brisbane, Totally Michael was getting used to the heat but maybe not the locals. Unlikely attendees at the bar encouraged their mate to go have a dance with the lead man. Of course, that wasn’t enough so the yobbo had to shout something derogatory towards homosexuals into the mic. But as if that still wasn’t enough he got on stage and picked up totally Michael’s guitar, but no, still not enough. He pulled out his bloody donga while still holding the guitar. Poor Totally Michael was a great sport and took it really well saying “its ok, I like balls”, only slightly sicked out by this guy holding his willy while touching the guitar.

Recovering from the incident, the show went on but just when you thought we were out of the gutter, Casual Satisfaction came on which has lyrics to make even donga boy blush – check it on myspace or you can pick up the album coming out this month.

After a smashing performance, Totally Michael sincerely thanked the crowd as he departed and made way for SPOD who brought the festive season back for one last encore. He hung tinsel on his mic and provided streamers and balloons for a final count down to bring in the New Year. SPOD being quite the dude shouted out “Hey everyone I’m SPOD, WOOH!!!” and everyone cheered back much to SPOD’s surprise. He handed out the decorations and as his track started, streamers flew into the air and everyone oo’ed and ah’ed at the extravaganza that it was.

A similar formula to Totally Michael, SPOD also utilised the backing tape but this time accompanied by a keyboard, which he claimed to have a robot inside it. The evening was an unrelenting ride of danceable tracks from his latest album SUPERFRENZ and SPOD was dynamite, climbing all over the lounges and then resting his head momentarily on some random’s lap.

SPOD barely stepped on stage, dancing all night with the patrons, hugging, cheering, singing and making hand-canoes, which SPOD claimed to be his first one ever.

At first blush, SPOD is outwardly scattered but he certainly didn’t put those tracks together by accident, as his tunes are a clever mix of genres and his lyrics are just plain funny.

In an attempt to play a cover by old skool hip hoppers 2 Live Crew, SPOD fumbled saying “I forgot the words but hey I didn’t write the song so fuck – œem” and skipped straight to the chorus “Hey we want some pussy!”. At least he remembered the line “Nibble my dick like a rat does cheese”.

Noting his long absence from what he claimed to be the best territory in Australia, he accepted that perhaps he was being a little tricky since there are only two territories. But he corrected this by saying that the “States can suck all our dicks tonight”.

Topping off the party, SPOD mesmerised the crowd by sprinkling glitter onto the stage, which twinkled magically in the light.

It was a gig not to miss but the light crowd and the space to move made the show all the more interactive and enjoyable.

With the increasing acceptance of the backing track, the likes of SPOD and Totally Michael can come out and make great music without the nuisance of those annoying band members who fight for prominence. These guys have got it down all on their own and oh my much fun was had and it even finished at a civilised hour.