The Black Seeds, DynamicThrills, Roger That @ The Zoo,Brisbane, 15/06/2007

Mon 18th Jun, 2007 in Gig Reviews

Having recently moved to the Brisbane area from Sydney, and this being my first foray into Brisbane’s famous entertainment centre known as The Valley, I was looking forward to this Friday night for many reasons. My destination was The Zoo, and although I confess to knowing next to nothing about the bands I was going to see, I had been reliably informed that this venue was one of the finest this city had to offer.

After a short wait for the doors to open, we were inside The Zoo getting some refreshment (“we” being myself and my partner who took the fine photos of this night you can also see on this site). We both agreed that we liked the venue a lot, and although my partner could see the darkly lit stage would pose photographic problems, we secured our standing place and awaited proceedings.

The warm up DJ played a short set which weighed heavily on the reggae / dub side of things. This, as I soon discovered, was to be the main musical theme of the night.

First up were Roger That, sporting authentic 70’s haircuts and attire. This appeared to be their favoured musical decade too as they ripped into a set of funk inspired rock. The lead singer had a pretty sweet voice and a good range, while their single guitarist had enough licks to keep the songs afloat. Their cover of The Police ’s I can’t stand losing you was reasonably handled, and one of many nods to the music of the Caribbean during their 30 minute set.

Local favourites Dynamic Thrills took the stage next, decked out with sunglasses and sporting a small brass section. Now I was never a massive fan of the ska movement during the late 70’s, but these guys clearly were and blended reggae beats with the soulful approach of Fela Kuti to good effect. The crowd had grown to near capacity by now, and tunes from their current Satellite of Dub EP were warmly appreciated by those in attendance. Before you could shout “bring on the dancing girls!” they duly obliged, with a brace of tutu clad girls pulling out some energetic moves to close the set on a vibrant note.

The funk/soul/reggae torch was then passed on to the main attraction of the night, The Black Seeds. These guys I had heard murmurings of as they have been doing big things in their native New Zealand with the successful release of their most recent album to date, Into the Dojo, which debuted at number 1 in the NZ album charts. The 10 years these guys have been together have certainly not been wasted, and a dynamic, tight set was testament to this, again, punctuated by a mini brass section. I personally found the music rather tedious, and have to admit to finding my attention wandering constantly from the stage to the crowd just in front of me, and the interesting dance styles on display. My partner drew my attention to a young girl who seemed to be doing a speeded up version of Rain Dance whilst receiving electric shocks. And the massed throngs were having a similarly good time, buoyed by music that was heavy on dub beats and soulful funk.

Even for people who might not appreciate the genre itself, it’s easy to see why this music is the perfect accompaniment to a Friday night, and few alcoholic beverages (or whatever your choice of stimulant may be). If you like your beats bouncy and with plenty of echo then you should definitely check out The Black Seeds and support as they continue their tour of the East Coast of Oz