The Woohoo Revue, Fun Machine@ Transit Bar, Canberra(12/1/2012)

Sun 15th Jan, 2012 in Gig Reviews

Oftentimes, you can’t expect the name of a band to tell you much about their music or style. When it comes to Fun Machine and The Woohoo Revue, however, the name truly says it all. And when two fun-loving bands like these come together, as they did on Thursday night at Transit, you know you’re in for a good time.

The night got off to a bit of a shaky start due to some microphone issues for Fun Machine’s Bec Taylor, but the indie-pop trio quickly recovered and had listeners up and dancing in no time. Their songs are cheeky, quirky and catchy as hell. Their stage presence could be described much the same. I was both surprised and impressed at how Fun Machine shared the spotlight equally between themselves – though Chris Endrey’s gold hotpants did almost steal the show. All three members delivered powerful and unique vocals, each given the opportunity to take the lead on a song or two. Coming with Muskets, with its marching band-like build, was a crowd favourite.

Towards the end of their set, Taylor announced that Fun Machine had recently received funding for a full-length album. This announcement was met with a great round of applause. It’s heartening to hear such support for a local act and exciting to learn of such a milestone. Theirs is sure to be a debut album to look out for.

After a brief interval, during which the now abundant crowd refuelled at the bar, The Woohoo Revue hit the stage. One word to describe this six-piece collective would be ‘aesthetic’. Visually and aurally, The Woohoo Revue is totally captivating. Their unique take on vaudeville fashion, with vests and hats, corsets and fascinators, created a great visual effect. But it’s when the band strikes up that the true depth and extent of The Woohoo Revue’s beauty is made clear. This troupe of gifted musicians, in terms of both stage presence and sound, almost seemed too big to be contained by the modest Transit stage. The music enveloped the bar and thumped in the walls. The band flipped and switched between genres with complete and utter ease. From flamenco, to gypsy swing, to jazz – they have seemingly mastered it all. Gig attendees were slow-dancing one minute and raging the next, like puppets controlled by musical strings.

Unlike their support act, The Woohoo Revue did not provide any on-stage banter, nor did they try to build a rapport with the crowd. It created a distinct distance between performer and audience, even when the pocket-sized Sarah Busuttil entered the crowd and climbed the furniture during her remarkable violin solo. Considering that the band had celebrated trumpet-player Nic Ryan-Glenie’s birthday in Melbourne the night before, then driven all the way to Canberra that day, their lack of overt interaction was both understandable and forgivable. On another night, I’m sure this would not have been an issue at all. As it was, with the visual and musical feast on display, I was more than content to remain a spectator to their spectacle.

The energy and aura of the The Woohoo Revue lingered long after they had emptied the stage. Having had my fill of the delicious new music on offer, I exited Transit into the absurdly cool January night with trumpets and violins still bouncing around my head. There they have stayed for days, and I don’t mind one bit.