The Winnie Coopers, HalfKastand The Cure For Everything &Fat Mans Cleavage @ Gighouse,Cremorne Theatre, QPAC,19/01/2007

Sat 20th Jan, 2007 in Gig Reviews

Tonight began with Fat Mans Cleavage taking to the stage, while the early audience arrived and hid in the shadows of the Cremone. The band attempted to fill the space with a very Frenzal Rhomb-esque punk, compensating for the empty room with extra volume. Basto carried vocal and bass duties, Razor filled out with guitars and some vocals, while drummer, Hollywood Bonecrusher, held up his third of the sonic quota, despite having only had 3 rehearsals with the band before playing the 16-song set. The highlight of their set would have to be their frenetic, and somewhat disjointed, version of Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode.

A very long changeover between acts allowed the audience to purchase several drinks. However, for a licensed all-ages event, there was nary an underage audience member to be seen. Perhaps the kids had spent all their money on Big Day Out, and couldn’t afford the healthy admission price. Whatever the reason, it seems to be a waste to hold an all-ages event in such a nice venue, and have no one turn up to it.

HalfKast and The Cure For Everything weren’t fazed by the still-thin crowd, asking them to jig around down the front, with HalfKast promising that while he spits a little, it wouldn’t travel too far into the crowd. A few obliged, despite the majority of the audience still skulking in the shadows, and the band launched into a solid set of upbeat hip hop. There seemed to be a couple of band members missing, but the 6-piece still managed to keep the energy up. In particular, the saxophone, played by Peakey, hasn’t been this cool since Huey Lewis and the News. Although musically tight, there was something slightly lack-lustre in the performance, but it could be easily attributed to the half empty room.

Tonight’s headliners, The Winnie Coopers, know how to make Aussie hip hop, as they assure us that, “We’re homemade, just like your mum’s lasagne”. The five piece, with Eloquence and The Educator on vocals, Young Tubs on bass, DJ Bigbad, and Fingers Malone on drums, fill the theatre with beats and rhyme, and coax even the most reluctant audience members into the light for a dance. At one point, they generously teach the more rhythmically-challenged folk in the audience some of the intricate dance movements of the 2-step.

Commenting on the turnout, Eloquence declares that, “Tonight, it’s all about the quality, not the quantity”, and it’s true. The Winnie Coopers are a quality Gold Coast act, and the audience are vocal in their appreciation. The set seemed a lot shorter than the previous two, and despite calls for an encore, the house lights came on immediately, like a stern father warning the partygoers that it was now time to go home, as the party was over before it really had a chance to begin.