Van She @ Fowler's Live,Adelaide (03/07/09)

Mon 6th Jul, 2009 in Gig Reviews

CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE.

There is something inherently indulgent about a remixes album. Occasionally, as seen with No Protection , Mad Professor’s re-imagining of Massive Attack, the results can be revelatory. But more often the exercise dilutes what was so beloved about the disc in the first place, while also acting as an obvious revenue raiser by cashing in on songs that have already captured the public’s attention. Cool as they undoubtedly are, Van She’s double dip, Ze Vemixes, falls definitively into the latter category, for the most part adding little new or exciting to V, an accomplished debut that had already cribbed extensively from previous EPs.

What is not in dispute, however, is Van She’s standing as one of the great party sounds of 2009. Their live shows have developed into quite exhilarating events, and at Fowler’s this was hurried along by the presence of an ebullient all ages crowd that filled a venue very much in need of a significant attendance to aid the atmosphere. The warm-up gig was handed to the Touch, an Adelaide ensemble building their own following under the Transmission umbrella and quite capable of delivering a hearty slice of 80s-influenced dance rock. Of course the guys everyone had arrived to see were not from Adelaide but Sydney, and shortly after 10pm they sidled on-stage to launch into Kelly, a track that was itself re-tooled heavily for V after a more pop-oriented sheen was applied to its surface when first released.

The show that followed was heavy on the remixes, providing more than enough hard groove and bumping beat to put the crowd in the mood for a hefty weekend of revelry. As songs some were more successful than others, Changes losing the lightness of touch that is an undeniable part of its charm, while the likes of Strangers and The Cat & The Eye fared better as their essentials were kept intact. Perhaps the best way to describe the difference between this show and previous ones is that the prime influence on the group remains European, but is this time more Daft Punk than Phoenix – the two French acts Van She have toured with and expressed a high regard for.

The encore was to provide reverence of another kind, as singer Nick Routledge took the time to dedicate So High to recently deceased dance pop daddy and tragic celebrity Michael Jackson. In many ways this was an appropriate choice, adding a brief moment of gravity to a band that is all about excess, success and above all, fun. The band went on from Fowler’s to dabble in a touch of DJ work at Transmission’s monthly rave up at the Bull and Bear, joined by many of the older fans who had so loved their performance and, yes, bought the indulgent remix album.

CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE.