Embracing Halloween in all its horrific glory, The Vaudeville Smash hosted a flamboyant and energetic spooktacular to launch their latest EP, V-Grade Horror.
A night of toe-tapping frivolity ensued, beginning with Melbourne three-piece, The Red Lights.
Dressed to honour the theme of the night, the indie-rock trio performed a tight-knit set of punchy, upbeat songs. Chatting with the small crowd, the local boys were comfortable on stage, appreciative of the punters who had arrived early to hear their catchy, percussive tunes.
Up next were the infectious beats, catchy choruses, and jazzy bluegrass riffs courtesy of pop/funk septet, Animaux.
Fronted by the highly accomplished Alex Lahey, the singer/sax player addressed the crowd with confidence and professionalism beyond her years. Her powerful voice, combined with a rocking brass section, driving beats, and a bevy of backing vocals, got the crowd moving.
Keeping the room revved up between sets was DJ Mimi Velevska, who played until the distinctive notes of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” rang from the stage. A black curtain opened amidst a haze of smoke, revealing a ghastly looking horde of musicians.
The Vaudeville Smash had been reincarnated – sporting full Day of the Dead inspired makeup and blood-soaked white tuxedos. The Halloween spirit had been well and truly embraced.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of metal, rock, indie, pop, and everything else in between.
The Melbourne five-piece never fail to put on a rollicking good time for their fans, and this performance was no exception.
Frontman Marc Lucchesi is an explosion of energy wherever he goes, his infectious enthusiasm on equal par with his skills as a lead vocalist, saxophonist, and flautist.
Opening with the appropriately themed “Ghouls” from their latest EP, the local lads launched into a high energy set of highly-danceable pop inspired tunes.
The title track from their debut album Dancing For The Girl was a hit with the crowd, and also happens to be Lucchesi’s mum’s favourite – not that she was in the audience that night, as Lucchesi told us, “She’s at home cleaning my house”.
A distinctive, frenzied flute solo led into “Devil Said”, a song dedicated to “everyone that was forced to play a wind instrument as a child”. Lucchesi’s lessons as a child have paid off, as he jumped around the stage switching effortlessly between instruments, whilst teaching the crowd his cheesy choreographed dance moves.
Drummer Dan Lucchesi shone during “Don’t Say A Word” – his impressive vocals, including a stunning falsetto, bellowed from the back of the stage. His harmonies throughout the set were impressive, but these solo moments cement him as an outstanding vocalist alongside his talents as a drummer.
Marc Lucchesi told the room that the band writes “songs about interesting, scary shit – each song has something a little scary”. The next song “Night Vision” was no exception, opening with a howling werewolf’s cry from the band’s dramatic frontman.
The band introduced Tiaryn Griggs to accompany “Become The Night”, the accomplished vocalist injecting some feminine harmonies into the all male line-up.
The band members were hilariously and infectiously animated, and continued with perhaps the most unusual song of the night, “Zombies Ate My Neighbours”. The song, inspired by the Nintendo game of the same name, contained elements of video game-inspired melodies on the keys, and before long, the entire room was performing their own Thriller-esque style moves.
The tempo was slowed with the harmony filled “Got You On My Mind”, reminiscent of an 80s dance ballad. The song was a collaboration with the younger sister of the three Lucchesi brothers on stage, and included an impressive wailing trumpet solo that had the crowd swaying in unison.
It was clear that the audience was made up of long-time, loyal fans. When the boys launched into a series of songs from their earlier years, the room went crazy. Moving through
favourites such as “Drunken Cowgirl” and “Hey There Danny”, the band proved themselves to be this generation’s answer to 1970s disco.
Setlist
Thriller
Ghouls
Dancing For The Girl
Devil Said
Don’t Say A Word
Night Vision
Become The Night
Zombies Ate My Neighbours
Got You On My Mind
Dirty Old Man (Come Inside)
Drunken Cowgirl
Hey There Danny
Look At Me
Hey
