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THE GLOBE: 10.07.10 Princess Rodeo open the second benefit night at The Globe and take a fluid approach to power pop with multiple styles in the blender. Guitarist Lucas Hopgood brings ska to ‘Foot In The Door’, while drummer Dave Cathcart lays transient fills. Closing with ‘The Little Things’ singer/bassist Michiel Cathcart leads the band into jazz territory, complete with Joy Division bass and ragged Bluebottle Kiss vocals. Black-clad garage/roots trio The Medicine Show bring dark blues with singer/guitarist Harry Gilbeys’ vocal changes from primeval growl to full roar against bassist ‘Burning Log’ Hopkins and drummer ‘Dog Boy’ Puglisi’s knotty rhythms. With guitarwork ranging from country blues to all-out testifying, Gilbeys leads the charge through ‘Breasts And Bellies’ and a cover of ‘Delilah’ with a conspiratory grin before slamming down ‘Dogs Get Nothin’ and a mellower encore. Enticing voyeurs Miss Bertie Page sings and sheds her way through burlesque rock cabaret while making the audience part of her act. Finishing with strategic long hair and a stern comment Page returns between sets. Five-piece Blonde On Blonde bring fuzz dynamics, volume and strut with their laidback rock. Getting in with older song ‘Oh My Oh My’ singer/guitarist Jack wrenches lead licks from the viscous wall of sound. Moving beyond their groove the band play newie ‘Silhouettes’ with a more ambient sound and shared vocals. Not afraid to show their influences the band air Queens Of The Stone Age’s ‘Regular John’ before setting a shuffling danceable rock song and clustering together at the close. Redundantly announcing ‘Joker And The Thief’, Wolfmother’s Andrew Stockdale wades into the kicky riff and conducts the crowd during the surging keyboard break. Crowd favourites get more time with the shortened set with ‘Woman’ and ‘Mind’s Eye’ getting a huge response. Taking time to talk about the fated Regent Theatre and his first date to The Doors movie Stockdale begins ‘White Unicorn’ and follows bassist/keyboardist Ian Peres’ segue into The Doors’ ‘Riders On The Storm’, ditching his guitar to sing along before picking up it up to finish ’White Unicorn’. Moving through the twin guitar harmonic groove ‘New Moon Rising’ the band play ‘Love Train’ and close on jaunty twin guitar groove rocker ‘Pilgrim’. But the crowd demands an encore so Peres returns and starts a familiar fractured keyboard loop giving the crowd an “Is that...?” moment before the rest of the band files on for The Who’s defiant anthem ‘Baba O’Riley’. After Peres finishes singing Pete Townshend to Stockdale’s Roger Daltrey guitarist Aiden Nemeth and drummer Will Rockwell-Smith grab the song’s pulse and charge to the end, leaving a reluctant audience wanting more. BILL JOHNSTON |
