Hoodoo Gurus, The Lazys,Shivering Indies @ ANU Bar,Canberra (6/8/2010)

Sun 8th Aug, 2010 in Gig Reviews

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It’s hard to know where to start with Aussie legends The Hoodoo Gurus. Clearly age has not wearied the guys, and together with their strong support acts, The Hoodoo Gurus rocked ANU Bar and its audience of (almost) all ages.

First up for the night was lovely Newcastle boys, The Shivering Indies. Despite being first up, they did get one punter calling them the “Best band I’ve ever heard….tonight!” and another yelling out “You guys rock – for a band I’ve never heard of!” That’s some darn high praise, and the Shindies do live up to it, pumping out a sound that guitarist Jack Waterson calls “A cross between Motion City Soundtrack, Taking Back Sunday and Gyroscope”. They do have an unusual name, and keyboardist Owen Boughton explains why, “We just had a long list of random names, and Shivering Indies was the only one we could remember”. Hey if it works, it works, and The Shivering Indies was certainly a great start to the evening.

Next to take the stage was Sydney’s The Lazys – a very inaccurate name since they never stop moving! The Lazys’ set whipped the crowd into a frenzy with their frantic drum beats, guitar solos, and passionate vocals. Most of the band (and some of the audience) were soaked in sweat by Hey Mr Mr, the hard rock finale. The band has some EPs, with a new one, Prison Earth, out soon. Frontman Leon Harrison encouraged the audience to buy it because “We need petrol money home!” They won’t be going home just yet though, as the Lazys will be playing a few more nights with the Hoodoo Gurus, and it’s not hard to see why. After The Lazys’ wild set, the audience was energised and ready for the main fare: The Hoodoo Gurus.

The Hoodoo Gurus not only hold a spot in the ARIA Hall of Fame, but have been in the industry for nearly thirty years, bursting onto the scene in 1981, played together ‘till 1998, and then reformed in 2003. This gig was part of their regional tour for NINTH studio album, Purity of Essence. The Gurus played a mixture of old and new tracks, and, to the crowd’s delight, took requests, even when “I can’t believe you want to hear that!” All the well loved Guru songs were there, everyone sang along to Come Anytime and, naturally, What’s My Scene? had everyone dancing. Dave Faulkner got the audience to sing along, but was unsure whether they’d get the original lyrics or the ones from the Rugby League ads: ‘That’s My Team’!

Now it’s easy to make jokes about the age of the audience last night (‘Middle Aged Mosh Pit’ and ‘A Gig You Can Bring Your Mum To’ were mine) but really, that’s not fair. The Hoodoo Gurus have a universal appeal, and everyone, young and old, can appreciate the talent these guys have. Faulkner has a way with words, and Night Must Fall was my personal favourite of the night, Not to have you close at hand/wasn’t quite what I had planned. Faulkner and the rest of the band, Brad Sheperd, Mark Kingsmill and Richard Grossman, have a real rapport with their loyal audience, joking and laughing and making ANU Bar feel like a big gathering of friends. The Hoodoo Gurus deserve their status as Aussie rock gods, and put on a fantastic show for an adoring crowd.

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