The Donnas, The Cops @ TheMetro, 28/01/05

Sat 5th Feb, 2005 in Gig Reviews

What a week for gigs! I felt like a spoilt kid who ate too many lollies! Walking up the stairs of the Metro, I couldn’t help but harbour big expectations. The Donnas and The Cops have both been the subject of much media attention and hype. That’s a big reputation to live up to, so let’s see if they can walk the walk and talk the talk.

First things first. I’m ultra early and what better way to kill some time than to head over to the bar. $6 later I was holding a Tooheys in my hand, feeling a bit like Bernard from Black Books when he goes to the candy bar at the pictures and wonders why he didn’t get any change. As my wallet weeped (be quiet) I rounded up my friends and headed inside to get a good spot for the first band of the night.

First up it’s The Cops. This band, lately has received more hype than any other Sydney band. You open any music publication and it’s “the Cops this and the Cops that”. The letters page of the Drum Media recently hosted the infamous Jimmy “I love the inner city” Stacks Letter Scandal. I did see some of their set at the Newtown Festival but as most Newtown Festival devotees would know, it’s a big day and I was having too much fun to stand there to really take in their performance. However, tonight I was sober and ready for the Cops to flash their badge and hit me with their telephone books.

Tonight, as I watched The Cops performing, it was obvious that they had the image. The haircuts, the clothes, the shoes, the scarves, the eyeliner – that “inner city” look. This sits well with their energetic sound – a brash indifference that demands attention. Simon (vocalist) is the “Street Panther” of the group, prowling the stage, hitting his cowbell and playing guitar when needed. This is HIS three-ring circus. Rebecca pouts while playing the bass, flicking her hair as she moves around the stage like an awkward teenager, trying to dance in her new pink high heels. Tonight, she seems to lack the confidence to loosen up, instead coming across a little stiff and uncomfortable. Nick did some really interesting things behind the drum kit, reaching up as high as humanly possible to hit those cymbals while propelling the songs along at a nice pace. Meanwhile, Jimmy Stacks does his best to steal the limelight as the Ringmaster, but not quite succeeding. Listening to the Cops recording, their songs come across polished, urgent and interesting. Tonight, they just don’t seem to reach the same intensity. The crowd however, didn’t seem to share my opinion and were enthusiastic in their response.

Hearing the hype, one would think that the Cops are the next big thing. Watching them tonight, I could help but think that they were just going through their paces, coming second place to their own hype machine. A few more laps around the circuit and they might resemble the lean, mean, indie machine they claim to be. Instead they were left in the limelight holding no aces. Good, yes. Great, no.

By the time The Cops finished their set, the dance floor of the Metro began to resemble a sea of Donnas fans trying to hunt out a good spot to witness the girls in action.

As the Donnas walked on stage, the crowd cheered their approval. Donna A addressed the audience like an old friend before kicking into their first song. Lots of Kiss and AC/DC influenced rock’n’roll riffs. I expected my ears to be blasted but was shocked that I could hear my friend behind me asking a question. Teenage rebellion traditionally should be played loud! This was more like your Mum turning the stereo down!

There was plenty of long hair flying throughout the set. Donna R had a nice Angus Young look happening, while Donna C pounded those drums, throwing in a few stadium rock moves. Donna F got off to a good start, shaking her body to the bass, but lost her stamina half way through the set and concentrated on her bass duties. The crowd lapped it up and Donna A was quite endearing, chatting to the crowd and encouraging them to yell for more.

Don’t get me wrong, The Donnas look great on stage, but three quarters of the way through the set I couldn’t help but think that it all was just a little too routine. Gone was the rawness of the early shows. These were nice suburban girls who live next door and listen to Kiss while they bake chocolate chip cookies. There’s nothing dangerous about that. The Runaways WERE dangerous and I expected the Donnas to keep the tradition alive. Danger and volume obviously wasn’t on the rider tonight.

After 35 minutes, the Donnas disappeared from view as the crowd screamed for more. The girls were back, towels in hand and ripped into a three-song oncore, before leaving the stage once more. As the house lights came on, I looked at my watch, realising that the band’s set (including the encore) went for a total of 45 minutes. They can’t be serious? Maybe they had to wash their hair? Whatever the reason, I couldn’t help feeling like I’d just been cheated. Surely the band owe it to their fans to play for longer than 45 minutes? Dumbfounded, I looked around at my friends. As I voiced my disappointment in the Donna’s performance, a friend of mine left me with this gem of an explanation:

“Some people think that a group of girls in band who sing about rooting guys is dangerous. After seeing it I have come to realise that it’s just not dangerous at all!”