The Go! Team, Toy Balloon,Purple Sneakers DJs @ The Zoo(03/05/2011)

Mon 16th May, 2011 in Gig Reviews

It comes off as a perplexing choice as to why Purple Sneakers DJ’s have been flown up from Sydney to spin tracks on a quiet Tuesday night in Brisbane. The result is a set, while still an enjoyable mix, comes off as fairly pointless and misguided.

Following the opening DJ set, Brisbane electronic act Toy Balloon give the night a much mellower, and more appropriate change. I have seen Toy Balloon several times before, and every time they never fail to impress. Chances are they will never become anything of a huge national or international success, but you get the impression they are content carving out a small but dedicated fan base in Brisbane.

The problematic nature of crowd-pleasing bands is that a sufficient crowd is needed for them to truly realise their potential. From no fault of their own, this proves to be The Go! Team’s biggest issue tonight, in a venue which is barely stretching past half capacity. This is a situation far removed from their Groovin’ The Moo appearances, which were no doubt filled with people unaware of who The Go! Team are but more than willing to play along with their antics.

From the moments of T.O.R.N.A.D.O, you can feel the energy beaming from the stage. Ninja moves around the stage, desperately trying to get the mostly lifeless crowd involved in their tracks. Occasionally it works; she manages to get several chants from the crowd, but are barely audible through the music, which is considerably louder than you would expect from a band of this nature. Several songs have an intended visceral impact such as Grip Like a Vice, Yosemite Theme and Huddle Formation. For the most part, they land incredibly well. When The Go! Team stop trying so hard to activate the crowd, they ironically become even more crowd-pleasing to the small group of dedicated fans. Thankfully, the lack of crowd movement never ceases to deter them.

While the entire set is quite enjoyable for what it is, The Go! Team truly do feel like a festival band. It is no doubt a situation when they feel more in their element. When Ninja attempts to make such a small crowd wave their hands and jump, it comes off as forced and clearly the wrong environment in which to do so. Likewise, the stage of The Zoo seems too small for their larger-than-life antics and music. The Go! Team really are an excellent live band, and this was on show tonight. But perhaps club shows are not the best fit.