It’s hard to imagine a bigger contrast between the two acts that played at the Melbourne Zoo last Friday night.
The first, Die Roten Punkte, are a musical-comedy act who perform in ghoulish make-up and sing in patchy German accents about bananas and dinosaurs.
The second, Husky, are a thoughtful folk four-piece who play their instruments with exquisite care.
Despite their vastly different positions on the entertainment spectrum, both acts did an admirable job of livening up the patch of grass between the entrance to Melbourne Zoo and the Lion Park; an area that has been beset with picnicking music fans on Friday nights for the duration of Zoo Twilights this past Summer.
It was still light when Die Roten Punkte began their set, opening with an impassioned tale of a prehistoric vegetarian who wanted to travel the world. The chorus? “I’m more than a burger store! Dinosaur!”
Their nonsensical parodies grew more and more ridiculous as the night drew on, climaxing in a hilarious Kraftwerk-style epic about a robot who dreamed of being a lion.
Featuring a keytar and a cowbell, the synchronised dance routine that erupted in the middle of this extravaganza was a perfect mockery of bands that take their art just a little too seriously.
The arrival of Husky brought a return to relative normality, as they broke into the romance-tinged beauty of ‘Fake Moustache’. The delicate opening notes, complimented by barely noticeable drumming on the toms and a dancing piano refrain, brought an instant air of magic to the evening.
No one dared chat or giggle at their phones while the Melbourne natives were on stage; even their low key, but affably charming stage banter was met with a hushed silence.
They mixed familiar tracks from their debut, Forever So, with songs that “may be” on their work-in-progress next effort. Hopefully the timeless, affecting ‘For The Years Gone By’, and the stirring melody of ‘Wolfman’ will make the cut.
Far from being driven by the ego of any one member, Husky are only as good as the sum of their parts. This was never more clear than during pianist Gideon Preiss’ solo on the keys, a tumble of Debussy-esque intricacies, deceptively simple, and serenely played.
Heartfelt without being soppy, sincere without being a cliché, Husky’s loveliness was a perfect fit for the warm night and exotic setting of the zoo. And if tonight’s taster was anything to go by, their next album will be even more of a delight than their first.
