Wednesday night was popular Adelaide venue, The Gov’s turn to host Regurgitator’s nation ‘Annual Sail’ tour. After spending most of 2010 touring internationally and playing through their 1997/98 album Unit at a few major festivals, fans were excited to see ‘The ‘Gurge’ back and playing a mix of the old and new.
First of three warm up acts, Adelaide based hip hop duo, Bottle Rocket, started the night with an energetic set that even included some impromptu stage climbing.
Moving on, have you ever wondered what would happen if The Grates met The Hives, sung like Katie Steele and dressed up as Cyndi Lauper? Support act number two, Boys, Boys, Boys is the answer. The six-piece band (three boys and three girls) burst onto the stage with choreographed dance moves. At first the audience watched with raised eyebrows and quizzical expressions, but by mid-set the crowd forgave Boys Boys Boys for their lack of musical originality and just enjoyed the colourful indie-girl-pop-rock spectacle for its cheerful entertainment value.
Third and final warm up act, New Zealand DJ, Luke Rowell (aka. Disasteradio) continued the on stage energy. Just back from touring Europe with his sixth album, Visions, Disasteradio mixed up a masterful set of electronica synthpop. One of the highlights of the set was ‘Hotline’, explained by the band as “a song about telephones”. On top of winding beat Luke grafted the infectious riff from Gary Numan’s hit ‘Cars’.
Clad in skeleton onesies, the members of Regurgitator trooped out onto the stage. Projected behind the band was a pop art influenced background that played on a loop throughout the show featuring sock puppets, cartoon superheros and a dancing woodlands creature. The first song ‘I Will Lick Your Arsehole’ delighted the crowd who happily sang the chorus and clearly enjoyed the opportunity to scream out rude words.
The band then launched straight into ‘Everyday Formula’, another song from Unit. However, ‘I Like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff’ was not an issue for Regurgitator as they zig-zagged their way through almost fifteen years of albums. They highlighted their immense catalogue and longevity by playing ‘One Day’, the first track from their latest album SuperHappyFunTimesFriends. Short, sharp and noisy was the theme of the night with most song only being two or three minutes long.
The overall sound of the gig was more hip hop than electronic with popular numbers such as ‘Polyester Girl’ losing their electro sound and becoming more beat driven. ‘Bong In My Eye’ also received a make over and was performed as a mixture of loud rock and hip hop. Not many bands have the courage to mess with their popular hits and expect them to be widely accepted. However cult fans and new fans alike approved revelled in the freshness of it all.
Finishing where they began, Regurgitator ended their encore with ‘The Song Formally Known As’, again from Unit. Instead of playing songs just as they sound on the album, The ‘Gurge played a dynamic set full of new twists on old music. It’s no surprise that this band is still playing to sold out audiences Australia wide with fans being assured of something different each show.
– Brittany Chatburn
