!!! (chk chk chk), World's EndPress @ Prince Bandroom,Melbourne (10/02/2011)

Tue 15th Feb, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Strange Weather, Isn’t It? The most recent album title from !!! is oddly appropriate for anyone even living in Melbourne this summer, let alone those venturing into the night for this gig. Most of those en route to St Kilda would have been met with a spectacular lightning storm, typical of the weak excuse for a summer we’ve had so far. With it came a thumping downpour which somehow ruptured the sewer system of a Chinese restaurant two doors up from the venue, sending a torrent of fecal matter flying down the gutter of Fitzroy Street. Lovely.

Inside the Prince of Wales, World’s End Press put on one of the better supporting sets that will be performed in 2011. They sport a groove that is quite comparable with tonight’s headliner, and the typically sized support band audience showed their appreciation with plenty of moves on the dance floor. Sashi Dharann’s bass lines provide a guiding light for the band, while front man John Parkinson shows unbridled enthusiasm that makes watching him kind of like staring at the sun. The band reaches fever pitch on Faithful, the title track of their EP released in late 2010. If you’re headed to Golden Plains, check these guys out.

In a very nonchalant manner, and a good 15 minutes early, all of !!! take position minus vocalists Nic Offer and Shannon Funchess. Offer emerges and beckons the crowd to fire up for his troupe, which seems to fall a little flat given the back part of the venue is empty. This could be put down to the other quality Laneway sideshows in town on this particular evening. Regardless, Offer and his band are at the top of their game once again, although surprise somewhat with a set very heavy on material from their aforementioned, most recent LP. As a result, a couple of old favourites, Hello? Is This Thing On? and All My Heroes are Weirdos, fall by the wayside.

While Offer would make regular journeys into the crowd to serve up his finest, most cringeworthy dance moves to often unsuspecting patrons, the six-strong band plugged away on stage, none more so than guitarist Tyler Pope who was especially on form. When it did come to some older material, it was great to see the band has consistently evolved the tracks to sound significantly different to their previous visits to Australia. Heart of Hearts was a nice example of this and a crowd favourite for the night to close the set.

As was to be expected, an encore ensued and Offer had a brief bit of banter with a punter up front who suggested they play Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Relax. Having done so ‘only once or twice’ before, the band seemed a bit gun shy at first, but two minutes later were in full flight and provided a one part cheesy to two parts amusing highlight for the evening.

After a few visits with always different line-ups over the past four years, it’s hard to say whether !!! are any better, worse or the same now as ever before. While still a captivating live act, Funchess still falls short of former vocalist John Pugh, whose yin to Offer’s yang used to provide a bizarre, yet amazing, on stage chemistry. Despite this small qualm, !!! are still a great live act who remain largely unheard of or ignored by the broader music listening public. Which is a shame, but also makes them all the more enjoyable at the same time.