The John Steel Singers,Jonathan Boulet @ Fowler'sLive, Adelaide (26/03/11)

Tue 29th Mar, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Like two kids in the classroom working away with coloured cardboard and scissors, The John Steel Singers and Jonathan Boulet have both been busting to get up in show and tell and give you a look at what they made with their sticky fingers. The John Steel Singers released their debut album Tangalooma late last year, while Boulet released a new single at the end of last year and is busy crafting his new album. Both toured their new material in recent months, but like relentless crafty kids, the Here’s Jonny Tour proved an opportunity for both to whip out their paper cut-outs of awesome and show them to the masses.

It had indeed been a while since I last clapped eyes upon either of these Aussie music-makers in action. Jonathan Boulet wooed the daytime crowd at last year’s sunny Splendour in the Grass while John Steel Singers ran riot before my eyes in a Laneway Festival set a few years back. Together at the dual-headliner gig at Fowler’s Live on a chilly Saturday night, the two bands didn’t disappoint.

Radio Spectacular kicked off the night early as the first of two support acts. Despite the sparse early showing, the duo energetically carried an eclectic electro-pop sound in their colourful stride. An enthusiastically early front row greeted them while other punters trickled in more slowly after negotiating first drinks of the night at the bar. The Touch followed up and cranked into party mode. Front man Josh Moore tried his luck with the bright young things in the front row, but kept the rest to business. The band showered the crowd in some danceable tunes with a good dose of ghoulish electro sounds, showcasing new and old songs including Shot.

Adding his lot to the high beard to musician ratio of the night, Jonathan Boulet’s appearance on stage drew in more of the stragglers and filled the room. The chant of “we just want to dance” in 3 2 1 Ready or Not reflected the night’s catchy proceedings. Jonathan Boulet’s merry men provided plenty of punchy backbeats and rhythm-chopping ruthless enough to catch uninitiated dancing punters unawares. They also served up more jam experiences than a Cottees advertisement, alongside a main meal of dual drummers. The band raced through an energetic set that included North to South East to You, Ones Who Fly Twos Who Die, and the crowd-pleasing favourite Community Service Announcement. The set closed with new single You’re A Animal, a song title which an English teacher would ‘tut’ at.

The John Steel Singers overcame four “terribly broken” guitars to whip most of the crowd into a dancing frenzy. The pop-up brass section, involving band members Scott Bromily and Pete Bernoth dropping their respective instruments mid-song and whipping out trumpet and trombone, served to inject extra flair into the set. Hit joyous favourites Rainbow Kraut, Strawberry Wine and Masochist all got a showing in the rollercoaster set list, wrapped cosily around recent Triple J hit Overpass.

The penultimate song of the night saw the entire band take refuge seated on the floor of the stage, playing on as vocalist Trimmington Morrissey announced to the crowd “I’m singing to my genitals”. Before too long the band got back up to business to close the set with a promised “six minutes left to dance”, and the majority of punters kept the band true to its word.