Reviews

the good band

Ok lets get the cheesy jokes out of the way first. Were the good band any bloody good? Luckily yes so I don't have to suggest a name change. They are a two piece from Australia although back home they also play as a full band. They consist of a male on acoustic guitar and digiridoo(!) and a female on bass guitar. They both shared vocal duties sometimes singing together in harmony and sometimes taking the lead. The two aspects that stood out for me was the guy's digiridoo playing which was amazing and the girls vocals which were very strong and very soulful. Their lyrics also had a political and socially aware aspect to them although this wasn't something that they pushed in the audiences face. The first song contained the words "Open you eyes, never stop dreaming, ask yourself the question, would you stand up for an innocent person?" Both of them did some great harmonizing on the first track. I didn't quite realize what a versatile instrument the digiridoo is. The guy was ab! le to create a beat and a groove at the same time as building a melody, not to mention playing the guitar at the same time. The second song was about global warming and hot weather in general (and boy is it hot at the mo!). Again the lyrics were delivering a message, "The future will bleed, think of the ones who follow our deeds, is anybody listening? Does anybody care?" The song 'Devil In My Head' followed on dealing with a political election in Australia. A groovy song with a dark middle on the digiridoo. At this point a string was broken on the acoustic so the young lady performed a solo cover..."ain't no sunshine when he's gone", the guitarist joining in on cue at the end with the digiridoo. A mellow track called 'Down' was then sung by the guy followed by another mellow one with a feel good catchy vibe to it called 'Who Knows What The Future Holds'. I liked their continuous positive outlook. The young lady (ahh names!!!) then took the lead vocal for the best song yet c! alled 'Racist Skin'. Her bass playing was really good and the digiridoo effects on this song were amazing. The guy would sing the words "racist skin" into the instrument at the same time as creating a groove. It sounded like a robot coming through a haze of static. A song about having a secret called 'Say It Now' was next. I liked the lyrics "A secret I'm told is a pain much stronger than it used to be". We then had a "winge about pop idol" called 'Get On Stage'. It was predictably a catchy number beginning with bah-bah-bah-bah and had a great sarcastic edge to it and the words "we are told what to think, live our dreams from the coach, never leave the house". A standard version of a Janis Joplin track was next before they ended their first set with a song about the book '1984' by George Orwell. This was a creepy song with a slow bassline. Its funny how that book seems more relevant now that it ever did.

They had a short break before returning to play a further six tracks. The first song was a slow one without a title followed by 'Yoko' which was quite a funky number. A relationship based song was third called 'Forever In Time' with a haunting and quiet picked intro on the acoustic. "We'll throw a party so everyone knows we're together, body and soul". 'Working Class Town' about the town of Newcastle in Australia followed. Apparently they are the biggest export of coal. "Are you nicking our jobs?" one audience member called out! Again it was a song with a social message, "I take my direction from the boss man...but he's nothing without these working class hands". A fantastic cover of 'Back In Black' by AC/DC was then played. You have to hear this on just a bass guitar and a digiridoo! Very groovy! They finished their set with a beautiful song called 'Coming Home' requested by an audience member and sung by the female member of the group. It was written about her discovery th! at her grandma had alzeimers disease just before she was about to leave Australia. "When I meet you again I hope you remember where we've been". I enjoyed the performance and although it was very hot and very quiet in Porter they played a good set confidently and interacted really well with the audience. Cheers guys!

Ed hutchinson