The Datsuns and The Casanovas@ The Zoo, 19/11/06

Wed 22nd Nov, 2006 in Gig Reviews

You know you’re in for a rocking night when the gig starts with a deep thumping bass drum beat so loud that it shakes the walls and floor of the beloved shrine – aka The Zoo. The crowd is speckled with truckie hats and AC/DC shirts, Jet-esque dirty rock boy hair and black stove pipes are standard. There’s even a guy wandering around in a vintage Bon Scott number; tres pubbe rocke maate. Noice.

Straight into “Born to Rock”, it’s understood why media kit and other critical ramblings note their sound as very KISS, the instrument ensembe replete with the crispness of SG guitars. If the boys from the movie “Detroit Rock City” had grown up and formed a band, they would have been The Casanovas.

Shakes starts at a greatly slowed tempo with delay running on the amps and reverb through the mics, turning the track into a stadium soft cock rock anthem worthy of latex jumpsuits and David Lee Roth (chest) hair.  “Now play it faster,” I whispered to myself. Bingo – The Casanovas stopped, smiled and launched into it again with the furious pace the track usually has, causing the first raucous dancers of the evening to throw themselves into the air and around the dance floor in much appreciation.

It’s evident that these guys have been playing together for years and that they’re happy doing so. The sound is good, the songs tight and the improvisation intuitive.

The riff in Shame On You is reminiscent of Noise Pollution, explaining the AC/DC shirt phenomena.  New single California was a highlight; much better live than on plastic and definitely eligible for inclusion on your summer mixed tape. What You Did showcases the sound engineering is really good tonight; it’s very clear and clean, emphasizing the reverb and delay being used to fill out the tracks. 10 Outta 10 brings it home that these guys hail from, and pay homage to, a very Melbourne rock scene.

There are some serious whiplash-creating-riffs throughout the set, which engenders a lot of crowd participation. Heartbreaker, also from the new album, All Night Long, is launched with an oral water spray into the crowd amidst the first four bars of the intro – a Led Zepp styled “baby baby baby” even manages to make an appearance throughout the song which pleases the crowd no end, The Casanovas leaving the stage to much applause and no doubt a couple of new fans.

From the first few seconds of Smoke and Mirrors’ front runner, Who Are you Stamping Your Foot For?, The Datsuns’ reputation for a fantastic live show is substantiated.  The energy in the room escalates, driven by lead singer Dolph Datsun’s frenetic shoulder shaking, pouting, strutting and coverage of the stage as he throws his all into the performance.

Keen to get their new tracks heard, we’re treated to some new sounds, Such A Pretty Curse” and Waiting For Your Time To Come which both secure a few more CD sales from the merch desk.

Returning to their first offering, Sitting Pretty cranks up and it’s only a matter of moments until a guy is lifted into the air, lays prone with his arms stretched to the ceiling and the crowd surfing beings.

Then the onslaught: MF From Hell, Blacken My Thumb, System Overload, In Love, one after the other without a pause; the atmosphere is truly inspiring.  There is so much clapping, energy, movement, and wrenching vocals that I wonder what Dolph’s voice is going to be like in the morning, if he has one. 

Blood Red, Maximum Heartbreak and Stuck Here For Days from the new release are also very well received although the latter is a bit more of a swamp rock track than the nuevo-pseudo-glam-garage-punk The Datsuns are renowned for.

But I digress… The encore takes the crowd back to the band’s roots, with Lady, The Ramones’ The KKK Took My Baby Away, and Freeze Sucker being slammed out in quick succession, the last echos of gain and feedback only just being heard over the cheers and foot stomping of a very pleased crowd.
 
The 2nd encore wasn’t really required – as a number of people had left after the first – but it happened anyway. And with the volume as it is, and as it should be, I listened to it as I wandered back up the street until the tinnitus and the crossing signal noise engulfed my senses while crossing Brunswick St into the watercolour haze that is The Valley after dark.