The Go! Team @ The Bakery,Perth (13/05/11)

Tue 17th May, 2011 in Gig Reviews

It’s become a well known fact that whenever the Go! Team are in town, one hell of a party will ensue. Their carnival of action, music and energy wouldn’t disappoint, even if founder Ian Parton has recently mentioned a potential parting of the ways. Still it would be a while for the fun to truly begin. The crowd had to endure 6s and 7s first.

There’s no easy way to put this, 6s and 7s are a tamely generic indie band attempting to be interesting. Unfortunately for the local sextet, it just never quite works. Despite the group’s serious efforts, it always felt like a case of too many cooks not enough worthy tunes. The majority of the songs were forgettable and were often met by a lukewarm reception at best. It must also be said that attempting to combine audience members as band members and vice versa is never a good idea. Bringing a friend up on stage to sing (often off key) and play a whistle, and then letting them go back to dance in front of the unenthusiastic crowd is not only unprofessional, but crass to the point of embarrassment. Sorry 6s and 7s, better luck next time.

Only seconds into the Go! Team’s set, and all that was forgotten.

The crowd were rapturous as soon as the band arrived, and nobody let up until it was all over. With the core of the Brighton sextet launching into T.O.R.N.A.D.O. and the arrival of much loved frontwoman/ hyper gymnast Ninja it was all thunder, lightning, strike from the getgo. If the crowd had benn able to look away from the stage, and they most certainly couldn’t, they would have noticed the Bakery’s roof raised right into the infinite. Party time had begun.

The roles of all six members constantly revolved as many times as their genre changed. Members switched instruments and positions on stage with every single song, and ranged from 60s tinged pop like Ready To Go Steady sung by oft-drummer Chi Fukami Taylor to almost punkish The Power Is On. An early highlight was the first Go! Team single, Ladyflash, with an even higher level of energy than usual. The set was heavily orientated towards new album Rolling Blackouts, featuring almost over half of that album. Secretary Song, from Rolling Blackouts, was another crowd favourite and featured Taylor playing a typewriter. The boys of the band were equally important as the girls though, providing a constantly solid musical background to the proceedings, with Parton keeping a watching gaze throughout.

With such an action packed, fun filled set there had to be an encore to follow. Starting off with the instrumental Junior Kickstart from debut album Thunder Lightning Strike, it was the absolute best example of the band’s musical prowess. Even including a banjo played by Parton. One more song was to follow, latest single Apollo Throwdown. One last dance was had, one last jump around and soon it was all over. With the Bakery roof safely lowered back into rightful position and the band and audience making their respective ways, this celebration would not be forgotten in a hurry. The Go! Team had made sure of that.