It was Saturday night and I was going to the Mz Ann Thropik EP, A Silent Scream, launch. I knew it would be a night of grand adventure and I spent minutes selecting my wardrobe. I wasn’t planning on reviewing the night, and I don’t like going out early, so I missed the three supports acts. Were they good? How good were they? I need to know. Please add a comment at the end of this review and tell me. I want to start a new trend, inspired by my tardiness, where readers help me write my reviews. I don’t care if your review and are biased. I don’t care if your style of writing makes Harry Potter seem sophisticated. I don’t care if you write only one sentence. In fear of copyright infringement I say, “just do it”. I also had no photographer, but I did have my 1mp telephone.
I may not have seen the early bands, but I did see the audience. Mz Ann Thropik have the best dressed fans ever. Not only was the fashion and grooming impressive, but there was more ink on the bodies of the supporters than there is at a Hell’s Angels’ convention. Of course the artwork at The Gaelic was of a higher quality and more innovative than a skull with a dagger in its mouth. I’d like to select a favourite tattoo, but I can’t. My head is awash with a kaleidoscope of the images I saw, including those on Mz Ann Thropik’s Magdalena, and I can’t remember any details. Except for the grrl with the flowers on her shoulders. I wonder who that mysterious creature of the night was.
I could feel the excitement in the crowd as I searched for a vantage point. The excitement was building like a time bomb counting down to zero. I don’t know what the previous bands were like, but they had done something to stimulate the crowd. The fans were divided over two floors. Upstairs were the under 18’s and I could hear them moving around like a flock of happy penguins. Downstairs were the alcohol enlivened and polite adults. There was a surge frontwards as the band exploded on to the stage. Keyboardist Princess B in her Alice costume. TigGrrr in his customary black ensemble and low slung bass. Kerry with his guitar that doubles as weapon of mass pleasure. Damien on drums with his mighty sticks of awesome. And Magdalena with her frilly knockers and a grin that teeters between seduction and wickedness.
Damsel in Distress started off the set like it starts the EP, and contains everything a good song should. It has a riff and beat to move you, a chorus to sing to, keyboards that add a new level of enjoyment, lyrics to think about, and vocals that add power and definition. The first song had barely started when a female admirer threw flowers to Magdalena. Later in the night a box of cookies was thrown to Princess B. TigGrrr and Princess B then redistributed the wealth by hurling cookies, like shurikens, in to the crowd. The boys in the band might be a little jealous that they didn’t receive gifts, but they refused to show it.
The band is never more seductive than when they play Sweet Love Beat. Why this single never catapulted them to international fame remains a mystery to me. Contestants on Australian Idol should be made to sing it. They should be exposed to something harder than the lame pap they usually regurgitate. Mz Ann Thropik are a little bit punk, but not in a ‘I hate the world and I want to destroy it’ way. A little bit goth, but not so depressing. A little bit industrial, but not so repetitive. A little bit pop, but not like you hear as a 13yo grrl’s ring tone. And a little bit rock, but not like they think it is 1971.
Off With Yr Head was initially dedicated to the Tiger Army, Mz Ann’s young fans who were partying upstairs in their tiger hats, but then rededicated it to the two teenage grrls who recently suicided. Magdalena’s performance was staggeringly emotional. She rose at the end of the song, teary eyed and in need of a hug from Princess B.
It didn’t seem like an hour had passed when the band closed with Dynamite, the final track on the EP. The merchandise stand was then besieged by besotted admirers, clambering for CDs, t-shirts, and tiger hats. Many of the enthusiasts then sought out the band members who were only too happy to talk, sign autographs and pose for photos. It was sad to leave but the band, and many of the fans, were ready to party elsewhere until the body could take it no more.
