Gentle Ben & His SensitiveSide, Kalki the Hula HoopGirl, Spencer P. Jones, TheBakelite Age and The TijuanaBibles @ The Tote, 21/10/2005

Tue 25th Oct, 2005 in Gig Reviews

Tonight was like a mixed bag of treats, being new to Melbourne, it was my first foray into the institution that is The Tote. The acts scheduled to play were locals The Tijuana Bibles, The Bakelite Age and Man’s Ruin Burlesque, Rowland S Howard and of course Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side for their album launch titled The Sober Light of Day. There was to be a dramatic change in the line-up, Hula Hoop Girl Kalki replaced Mans Ruin Burlesque and the legend Spencer P Jones replaced Rowland S Howard.

The Bakelite Age moseyed onto the the stage apparently sporting an extra guitarist, one more than usual. Headed by Link McLennan of Meanies fame, this is proving to be nothing like anything he has done before. A very catchy guitar-driven five piece, they appeared a little awkward on stage. The room ever so slowly filling out, however leaving the seemingly obligatory empty space directly in front of the band. McLennan pumping out screaming and scratchy vocals, they seemed to warm up mid way though and shared one of their new songs D-Day amongst others.

Spencer P Jones took the tone down a notch, just himself and his guitar. Spencer P Jones gave us a break from the onslaught of noise. Initially I was a touch disappointed in not seeing Rowland S Howard but was equally as keen to see Spencer and he certainly came through with the goods. After a few deep and dark songs he teased the punters with ‘lets lighten it up a little..’ to which a response of ‘fuck no’ from one happy punter ‘ok lets go back into the depths of depression’ and with that he returned to giving us more from his latest release Fait Accompli.

This set was the type that you could imagine some tumbleweeds floating across the red dirt for as far as the eye can see, it was deep, dark and dirty. Jones ending his set with a song about a black cat crossed my path.

One of the varied acts of the evening was Kalki, at first I was wondering how entertaining a girl wielding hula hoops could be. Well we were all mesmerised. While spinning a hoop around herself, she stripped, the more hoops the less clothes she had left on her. Ending her show with about 10 hoops spinning wildly on her limbs.

Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side, the piece de resistance, graced the stage all wearing white suits reminiscent to sailors, and Ben Corbett all in black. “Good evening… I am Gentle Ben and this (introducing his band) is my Sensitive Side” being quite the showman, Ben’s vocals are soft, gentle stroking then making way for the craziness that then pervades.

Corbett involves the punters in the room announcing ‘this is another one off the new album and it’s real fuckin’ nice… giving us The First Song Of The Rest Of Your Life. The musicians that make up His Sensitive Side are immersed masters at work, oozing out vocals and tunes that are a real marriage, they compliment each other. Each song beginning with a quiet tune which then becomes this monster of thrashing about like cut snakes, like a little piece of theatre.

Frontman Corbett obviously feels the rhythm and never more evident than with a Spanish/flamenco influenced number, by this time the entire audience transfixed by his every move and swiveling hips.

After a shortlived departure from the stage the good folks from the band returned for an encore with lyrics like “I’m gonna take you out – the way you came in…”.