Regurgitator, Last Dinosaurs @Brisbane Powerhouse (16/05/10)

Tue 18th May, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Venues in Brisbane seldom make it to their tenth birthday. Most have succumbed to financial hardship or incessant gripe from community members about noise levels or behavioral issues, long before an institution even gets close to this mark. Today the Brisbane Powerhouse is celebrating a decade of remaining a resilient organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts. Countless musicians, actors, writers and visual artists are indebted to the Powerhouse for its commitment to creative development. That said, there is no better way to celebrate this milestone than with a showcase of three diverse examples of the cities musical accomplishments including the legendary Regurgitator.

Polynesian culture is built upon a rich musical upbringing. For recent New Zealand importees Spacifix it is the source to the very strength of their songwriting abilities. The band is immaculately tight, traversing through their infectious blend of reggae, jazz and hip hop with full precision. The singing abilities of front men Willy Manukia and Isi Filisione really should be praised, almost effortlessly reaching higher notes that most vocalists wouldn’t even dream of attempting. One can certainly envisage the vibrant lush tropical surroundings of the pacific islands when listening to their music which was a stark contrast to the industrialized decor of the Powerhouse.

Baby faced indie pop quartet Last Dinosaurs look barely out of their teens but judging by their recent signing to Dew Process they will soon be on the road to mega stardom. Lead singer Sean Caskeyionni playfully bounds about the stage while the other band members step back and awe the crowd with musical fearlessness far beyond their age. The audience remains rather unmoved throughout the performance, with Triple J hit Honolulu even passing without an overly loud show of applause. In fact, most of the crowd remains rather motionless minus some teenage girls in the front. Last Dinosaurs put on a glowing performance but this reviewer can’t help but feel there’s something missing. Although being incredibly talented musically, their performance simply feels too plain. However, judging by all the fourteen year old girls that swamped them afterwards they clearly do impress.

With a career spanning almost fifteen years and over seven albums iconic Brisbane band Regurgitator arguably almost have more musical history than the Powerhouse itself. The song that definitely summarized their performance was I Like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff as the diehard fans were treated to a collection of hits from older albums, with only a few instances of newer material. Every single level of the cavernous Powerhouse is packed with people in eager anticipation of the reformed quartet. An arppegiated keyboard introduction starts and frontmen Quan Yeomans and Ben Ely belt out an extended floor tom intro to Blood And Spunk.

Quan doesn’t have a second’s hesitation about dropping the vulgar lyrics of I Will Lick Your Arsehole and the ironic I Sucked A Lot Of Cock to members of the audience who looked like they were in the early years of primary school. The punk rock electronica mash ups are belted out with a manic fury which sadly overshadows the keyboard parts performed by the wonderful Seja Vogal. When the guitars eventually give her room to move she unleashes some 8-bit magic. Hits like My Friend Robot and Bong In My Eye rocket from the speakers with an intensity that is seldom matched by bands even half their age.

This is the reason why The Gurge are so imbedded in the cities music heritage. Their power and energetic stage presence has remained relatively unchanged over the decade and a half they have been together, soldiering on through adversity and in and out of commercial success. The band crank a three song encore of Kung Foo Sing, ! (Song Formerly Known as) and Polyester Girl. It’s the newest member of the band, drummer Peter Kostic, who needs the break before blasting out the final songs. Quan and Ely look like they could do this for hours.