Saturday May 2nd saw the Northcote Social Club host ROOT! along with some of their special friends, and I’ve got to say that my one regret for the evening was, due to unforeseeable events, not getting there early enough to see the first half of Tony Johannsen and the Land of Plenty’s set. Upon entry it was immediately apparent that Tony and his band were providing the raucous kind of warmed-up atmosphere befitting of a ROOT! gig, and the crowd was undeniably lapping it up. The dance-floor was abuzz with groovers (including a few notable faces from Underbelly and Neighbours), and the music and vibe was at a high early in the evening.

The ‘garage punk poets’ ROOT! began their set with a monologue spoken almost entirely in German, providing those without much prior knowledge of the band somewhat of an insight into what to expect – that being the unexpected – and those of us in the know a nostalgic (if not brief) hark-back to DC Root’s past (which will not be mentioned here). As soon as the curtains opened, admittedly manually aided by the front-man and hinting at ROOT!’s budget, the band busted into a very high-spirited version of I’ll Get My Kicks When I’m 66, much to the delight of their very appreciative audience.

After another well received track, the very humorous I Wish I was Tex Perkins, lead singer DC Root paused to reflect on the origins of the band’s name, and to just generally rant as the man certainly loves to do. He explained that he hadn’t given the moniker much thought in the early days, and it is constantly coming back to haunt him. For example, when he and his family host a dinner party, and the ‘ROOT!’ scribbled on the calendar six months in advance suggests that maybe he and his wife look a little bit too far into the future to schedule their extra-marital activities. He did, however, go on to ask the audience to spare a thought for the well-known heavy-metal act Anal C*nt, as he sincerely empathised with their plight.

As one critic recently wrote, ‘DC Root’s turn of phrase makes Oscar Wilde sound as exciting as the phone book’, and yet again he didn’t not disappoint. His lyrics are sharp and slick, dripping with wit and sarcasm, and his voice sounds as good as it ever did (but that’s referring back to his past, oops). Standout tracks included, Spring Me Out of Caroline Springs, Caroline, Pauline Hanson Says There’s Catholic Muslims Too, the hilarious Crown (as in, the casino), and Joe Bloggs Blogs.

ROOT!’s stage antics are always entertaining, with DC constantly leaving the stage to rub shoulders with his fellow ‘Rooters’, and the crowd lapped it up. Even though they dress in Akubras and general country garb, there is nothing more than a slight country twang evident, with ROOT!’s sound better described as ‘garage-rock’. If you have never seen a ROOT! Gig, I cannot recommend it strongly enough, however, for those of you faint-hearted out there, check them out on Spicks and Specks on June 24. Trust me, it’s sure to be a pisser!!!