There is a very excellent scene in the BBC series The Mighty Boosh in which Noel Fielding, dressed as a hedgehog, dances away whilst Julian recites verses from Shakespeare on the tricky subject of death.
If you removed everything but the head-piece from that costume, and replaced the rest only with the smallest of leather jackets, a pair of torn black jockeys, and what appeared to be the scars of a very recent appendectomy; then you’re some way to recreating the scene that greeted the Sydney crowd who braved the storms in time to catch Justin Champlin (as Nobunny) hit the stage.
The music carried the lo-fi/upbeat punk sensibility, and the crowd swoon around Champlin as he jumps off the stage to deliver a few numbers from the floor, before stepping back up for ‘I Can’t Wait’ (which in its interlude carried a nice little tribute to Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’).
With a little extra stage time due to the cancellation of an earlier band, Champlin exclaims “we’ll play one more for you lucky so and so’s” and the crowd erupts with hair, sweat, and plastic cups flying around the room during ‘Dreams Can Come True’.
Californian four-piece Thee Oh Sees owned the room from the onset of their slot. Frontman John Dwyer is a blaze of head shakin’, guitar tremblin’ goodness for ‘The Dream’.
Keyboards are attended by the lovely Brigid Dawson, who is the only member to occupy the back of the stage, as the remainder of the group form a single line across the front. She helps keep time throughout the show with a variety of percussion to compliment her vocal and keyboard duties.
The vocal harmonies of Dawson and Dwyer combine at times to deliver some rather delicate moments above the gorgeous abrasiveness and echoes of their music, reminiscent perhaps of The Cramps or Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Bassist Petey Dammit has quite a curious technique of delivering bass vibes for the group, playing a standard 6-string Jazzmaster guitar. It seems to allow him to produce a depth of tone that works very well in a group that delivers very complex sounds at a hasty pace.
Mike Shoun proved that a well-placed drum solo can still whip the crowd into a frenzy, as he takes advantage of a short period where Dwyer is absent from stage to blow out whatever cobwebs may have been lurking in the high ceilings with a fantastic crashing display of beats.
‘Tidal Wave’ sends an already energised crowd into a spin, and only ‘Minotaur’ (a tune from the group’s upcoming long player Floating Coffin) really allows some respite by way of a dropping tempo, albeit only for a few brief minutes.
Call it punk rock. Call it psych rock. Call it lo-fi garage. Call it what you will, Thee Oh Sees are the real deal kids.
