Last Saturday night was one of the best nights out (without alcohol) I’ve had in a long time, and I must say it was most overdue! Brad and I had decided to go to a gig because neither of us had been out to see a band in over a month, and I don’t know about Brad but it was starting to get to me. I really was starting to miss the live music scene. Anyway, on Friday evening Brad and I were searching the gig guides to see who was playing. Sadly for us there wasn’t a whole lot on offer, which is strange because usually there’s at least one band somewhere that I know playing. After briefly considering driving all the was down to the Peninsula to see a band called SEVEN (one of my favourite aussie bands, one of Brads also I think) we decided to go check out a band called Mach Pelican. This was decided by Brad who remembers them from his Evees days back in high school, I had no objection to this decision as there really was not a lot on.

After gathering a car load of people for the gig (Leigh Crag, Elesha and I) we left for The Tote at around 9.30pm and planned on meeting Brad there. We got to Brunswick Street around 10.10pm and I dropped Elesha of at the nearest tram stop as she had to work at DV8 later in the evening. After slowly stalking her down Brunswick Street for a few minutes and taunting her from the car by yelling things like “Show us you tits” or “oh my god...Tulla” in a stupid Lebanese wog like accent out the window we continued along down to Johnston street. I was careful in trying to find a park this time round because last time I was in the area I misread a sign and received a parking fine that I’m still to pay. I found one without too much hassle moderately close to the venue.

I’ve gave Brad a call as we started the walk to The Tote and he said he was still waiting for a tram in the city and that he would meet us in there. As we approached the front door my jaw dropped and anger levels increased, across the side of the building there were posters: “SEVEN Friday 21^st July”, the current date was Saturday 22^nd July. *sigh* This was the band Brad and I considered driving all the way down to the Peninsula to see, I was really quite annoyed, I sent an sms to Brad venting my frustration and moved on inside, I wasn’t going to let this ruin my evening.

By the time we got inside (I think it was roughly 10.30pm and Brad arrived not long after) we had missed Mach Pelican, I really didn’t care too much, just as long as the other bands didn’t completely blow. Turns out the Spazzy’s were next on the bill, I didn’t really know what to expect, I had a vague idea of their music but nothing I could really judge it on. I had nothing to complain about really 3 reasonably good looking girls (the drummer was tré hot) about to play me some music, it was a recipe for fun. As a live band they were quite entertaining, although all their songs sounded similar everyone really got into it including myself, they were quite energetic and worked the crowd well. The Spazzys aren’t the kind of band I would go out and buy a cd to listen to in my own leisure time but as a live act I would have no objections to seeing them again.

Next up was a band from Japan named “The Faceless”, as we waited for them to come on stage these two dancing girls jumped up onto the stage and began to strip down to the music. It was very strange, yet I was suspiciously aroused. I think the story behind their dance was that they were trying to get the bugs off their bodies. To do this (while dancing) they stripped down and swatted at themselves with fly swats, this didn’t work. So they then pulled what I thought was some form of bug spray from their head gear, I was mistaken. It was silly string! I had a flashback of the suicide girls gig and how disgustingly dirty I felt after being sprayed with silly string, cream, alcohol and glitter, it was a very sticky situation. So I ducked behind the guy in front of me and managed to escape the blast.

When the Faceless did start they pretty much blew me away, I can’t think of any words to describe their energy or their presence on stage, but it was awesome! The singer was going crazy, she was hanging off the lighting fixtures which I was sure would fall, she frontal piggy backed (Face to Vag) a fellow punter and was jumping about everywhere. The bass player (as Brad describes) looked like he would fit in perfectly with the Mars Volta, he was very dopey looking indeed. The guitarist looked like every “cool” Asian you would see in movies, big 80’s style top gun glasses with a cigarette hanging out the side of his mouth, and the look worked very well for him, I thought he looked quite cool. The drummer, well he was very plane, he looked like some sort of accountant, very nerdy looking, apart from the fact he was drumming in his underwear. Once again the music wasn’t the kind of style I listen to, but as a live act they rocked.

After they finished I went over and decided I buy some of their merchandise as it was particularly cheap, the T-shirts where only $15 and the cds were $10, so I bought them both. The gig was over, it was full of bad English and silly lyrics, but it was completely rocking! After seeing both the Spazzys and The Faceless it supports my theory I’ve had for a while about live bands. They don’t have to be the most talented musicians, or have the best songs around, but if they have enough energy and stage presence to get the crowd into what they are doing, they don’t have to be.