A Party for Japan @ TheArtrage Bakery, Perth(01/04/11)

Tue 5th Apr, 2011 in Gig Reviews

The Bakery is the sort of odd structure that might be the result of placing commercial sailors and building planners in a room together and giving them tabs of acid. Hidden behind Metro City Perth, the exterior of the bar closely resembles a Fremantle container yard. Constructed from shipping containers, the venue gives off a palpable industrial aura. Whether it was a conscious choice by Felicity Groom and the bands supporting her to play here, as a commentary on Japan’s now-passed epoch as an industrious, sea-faring nation is anybody’s guess. Most punters were really only interested in wacky costumes, bands and getting intoxicated enough to confuse your girlfriend and your sister in the parking lot.

Walking into the venue you was like walking into an anime cartoon gone horribly wrong. Transformers in tuxedos, Dragon Ball Z characters in Ripcurl shirts, and fluoro-haired fan girls were all considered the norm in this cavalcade of weirdos all paying homage to the rich cultural history of Japan.

Inside the venue, a large projector played Japanese animation, which by the end of the night consisted mainly of playing the same episode of Astro Boy on loop and demonstrating that there are only so many times you can watch Astro Boy come to life without becoming disenchanted with the whole concept of the little tin boy that could.

The opening act Tusk set the tone for the night. The six-piece started playing funk rock songs with a heavy groove, dressed in silk gowns and boxer shorts. The band embraced their adage: “Do it until it feels wrong” and came on stage belting out funk-based rhythms that made you want to dance in the best way you knew how, mainly involving lurid pelvic thrusts. They even managed to lure a few people away from their cigarettes to come indoors to see them.

In polarisation to the light-hearted antics of Tusk, Mile End were the next band up. The audience thinned somewhat as Mile End began playing their disturbed and dejected tunes for the crowd. The Robert Smith look-a-like and front man Dean Anthonisz captivated the small crowd with his discordant vocal style while reverb flooded the room.

Yet another genre shock occurred when psychedelic cosmonauts Sugarpuss walked on stage. The crowd went from disconsolate youths to a conglomeration of bare-foot gypsies prancing across the floor. The gig became a small tribute to Woodstock, at any moment you were expecting love beads to be handed out and people to walk on stage completely naked, caked in mud. Sadly this did not happen, nonetheless the boys from Sugarpuss put on a psychedelic extravaganza complete with guitar solos and no-holds-barred rock outs.

After the Sugarpuss boys left, Felicity Groom came on stage dressed in a Japanese co-ed outfit that probably had some punters going home with very active imaginations. Alongside was Perth heavyweight Andrew Ryan and a hastily recruited drummer. Groom crooned to an attentive audience of anime freaks and inebriated hazmat workers. Jay Watson, the fill-in drummer, performed admirably despite a lack of practice time with the band and the difference was not discernible.

The night was a display of bands from inversely different genres pooling together for a greater cause. The gig was able to raise funds and awareness for the Japan disaster while still getting people hammered enough to think wearing a geisha outfit in public was a good idea, and after all, isn’t that what charity is all about?