In keeping with my usual theme of a Trans Am tour, the same old hassles occurred but this time it didn’t matter. Friends bailed, Emergencies arose, Exams were scheduled yet with a the help of the mighty hand of I-don’t-care, I swept aside adversity, as I swept inside the door of the chock-full Northcote Social Club, handed over my ticket money and began to banter with our fuzzy hirsute jacketed door lass.
Rolling along toward 11:10, strategically missing City City City whose dour musical experimentation tests my limited patience, I run into some old mates around the pool table. With hardly enough time for a chat the swelling crowd move into the band room in breathy anticipation. It’s a mixed bunch, some old and young. They have in their eyes a gleam of foresight toward a real blow away show. I’m halfway through a yarn with my old friend when Trans Am arrive, looking Canadian (Although they hail from DC) and wearing the stuff of electronica albeit in a nebbish manner, like their hip mums had dressed them in flouro.
Trans Am introduce themselves through the mediation of a vocoder, and launch into the irrepressible ‘Television Eyes’, sending waves of frenzy through the frothing crowd. What we’re all waiting for is the promised new stuff, the songs they were working on over the course of two continents. A couple of Deutschy tunes later they begin a medley of supercool experiments, taking notes as they go. Some of their experiments run awry as a lone synth escapes Phil’s control, Nate stepping in to re-capture it. They pick up the pieces and build a tremendous wall of sound, then launch back into vocoder tunes playing ‘Total Information Awareness’, something we can all relate to. They leave on an enormous drum solo, “Sebasturbation” someone cries, as they temporarily leave the stage.
Called back by the screaming 300 or so people, they play twice more and even stick around for a chat afterwards while loading their rented minivan. How’s that for a band that’s been around since 1993? With my faith in underground music unshaken I leave, hoarse and full of cheer, they did it all without a major label. To top it all off I win a bet on England, I knew I should have come out tonight.
