The Pictures, The Vandas, MinkJaguar @ Spectrum, Fri 8thJuly 2005.

Mon 11th Jul, 2005 in Gig Reviews

Music fans in Sydney were presented with a tough decision tonight. Spectrum on Oxford Street showcased a gold studded line-up with The Pictures headlining an awesome night of Aussie pub rock, supported by the mighty Vandas and Mink Jaguar.

A little further down the road in the Annandale Hotel, Faker where also rocking the stage. It seems to me that Aussie bands are unstoppable at the moment. So much talent! I’ve been fortunate to see Faker on previous occasions, so tonight decided to check out The Pictures and The Vandas on their national, Sit down/Get up/Get out! tour. Wow, what a cool gig! I made the right choice…

Let me begin by saying that Spectrum is not the biggest of venues. Small and cosy, but well suited, that is apart from the queue of loyal fans that were unfortunate to miss out on tickets. Being a Friday night and POETS day I rocked up early to quench a hard thirst with the amber nectar. Void of people on arrival, it didn’t take long to fill. Especially when Mink Jaguar took the stage and warmed the floorboards.

Check out Mink Jaguar the next chance you get. These guys know how to rock. It was loud and funky and had the infectious tunes to make your body groove. I felt inspired after watching them, completely immersed in Aussie music and feeling like a fair-dinkum deaf bloke suffering from a life long history of ear-thrashing audio loudness. I’ve still got the shouts of “YEAH’ echoing and bouncing from eardrum to eardrum.

The Vandas? Aussie pub-rock… eat your heart out! These guys from Melbourne have been going for a while, have a strong following and a new EP on the way. Initially I confused The Vandas with a bunch of Brit-pop boys (do their hair styles give it away?), but when they started pumping the tunes I very quickly got back into that rough, stomping groove. Indescribably Australian, they put a fresh new slant on regenerating some classic guitar riffs in a retro but nu-school fashion.

It won’t be much longer before The Vandas take off to high stardom, controllably out of control. Big things are coming their way. They are tight on stage, have a close musical connection but above this, they are entertaining. They put on a damn fine show! It’s everything that you’d want from a loud, unpretentious rock band. Except of course the fact that they should have been handing out complimentary earplugs!

In my history of gig going, I’ve become increasingly more interested in drawing comparisons between bands getting amongst and drinking beers when playing live shows…and those that drink water. I could never imagine Angus Young or Bon Scott sipping on a bottle of Mount Franklin. It just wouldn’t suit the rock genre. That’s why I liked The Vandas. They got into it on stage, rocked hard with plenty of raw energy, gave the crowd what we wanted to hear and then came down to join us on the bar level for more beers after their set. Flat out, The Vandas are dead-set dudes.

As for The Pictures, I would have thought that being together for 5 years, recently releasing a new album (Pieces of Eight), and embarking on a national tour was the perfect combination for getting amongst it. Not the case tonight though, Mount Franklin was the drawing appeal. Now I’m not condoning the fact that drinking beer is bad, because moderation is the key. And I’m not advocating that you’d be un-Australian not to have a drink. Its just that when The Pictures strode so smugly up on to the stage they looked as if it was a pre-rehearsed fashion show and they were all designated drivers.

But don’t get me wrong. The Pictures are talented. Cumulatively, there is an exceeding amount of complimentary knowledge musical enterprise shared between each of the three band members. This is without a doubt why they are so good at what they do. They have the ability to make to take a simple tune, juxtapose it with paradox and fire out catchy little numbers here and there that keeps the crowds smiling while jiving, and having fun at the same time.

But what happens when you have too much of a good thing? Or maybe you over do the salt and your meal is bursting with just too much flavour? While I enjoyed the display of talent presented to me by The Pictures, to me their performance seemed clinical. Sterile almost, like a puppet show in a hospital. While they encapsulated the fans from a technical perspective I felt they lacked in emotion and Aussie pub-rock fervour. For me, they were missing the zeal, enthusiasm and bright-eyed, quintessential, pure good old foot stomping, beer swigging, lout shouting qualities of Australian pub-rock bands and what their audiences have come to expect.

Stubbie holders aside, I have to admit that I had a fully fantastic night. I went home not only with the loudest ringing in my ears that I have had for a long time, but also a smile on my face cos I am proud to see any and every Aussie band who tours nationally. And, with all the great music that is around at the moment and with all the excellent bands that are touring at the same time, I feel lucky to have been a part of a top Sydney gig that I’ll remember for a long time.