Pig City (no time for paradise)
Pig City, 14 July 2007 at Uni of Qld: the first reunion of one of the world's oldest punk scenes. Saints first played UQ in 1974 (kicked out for playing 'No Time' Bailey says). A strong crowd of mostly over-40 types file in through the afternoon. Security tries to be intimidating, and the half dozen cops in uniform stroll around to make a presence, but it doesn't really work. The ban on leaving the venue to smoke lasts all of about 30 minutes or less, with Dusan B. leading the charge. By the time the Saints play there is a solid cloud of weed-scented smoke inside the 'no smoking' venue itself. Nobody is bothered.
A fenced-off oval on a warm winter's day holds a caricature of an amusement park-the red and blue flashing police lights on the marquee entrance a nice touch. Queues for beer become half an hour waits, social encounters of their own to palliate the wait. Dusty ground trampled by lots of grey haired black jacketed oldies in boots and sunnies.
4ZZZ has a live broadcast from a small tent just inside. Sonn after kick-off The Black Assassins make an impromtu appearance, thrashing 'Death Take Me Now' in balaclavas while band members, and audience (including at least one prominent writer) attack and destroy a mannequin strongly resembling the PM, while two of Qld's finest observe with curiosity. Hilarious and liberating--all live to air on ZZZ.
In the big top, The Apartments play a moving, emotive set, almost hauntingly beautiful, with some fine bass from John Wilsteed and taut delivery from Peter M Walsh.
The crowd builds to about 7000 through the day. Fashion tone of the day is not the dressed-up punk look that came late to the Aussie scene in the 70s, but the non-uniform non-conformism of a generation that started something that has become codified and imitated. As exemplified by the Saints. The greatest reunion of Brisbane ratbags in memory is well underway.
Highlight of the afternoon is Kev Carmody's set, including 'The Bitchin Song' and a deeply moving 'Little Things'. Kev delivers a strong sense of injustice, history, and poetry, and a great dose of motivation to resist the backwards conservatism of the time--full circle back to the late 70s under Joh Bjelke (who is unfondly remembered during the day.)
Pineapples from the Dawn of Time deliver a potent set, climaxing in an orgy of noise with 'Too Much Acid'. The Riptides take nearly the whole set to find their stride (with only one original member), but 'Sunset Strip' is gloriously delivered. The Parameters, led by Tony K., get to play 'Pig City', to the delight of the crowd--many old politicos in the front rows with huge grins. Regurgitator almost steal the day's thunder, in Kung Fu style. A solid set of old and new tunes, flawlessly and energetically played.
The lines for the beer tent get longer; the temperature starts heading for 5 or 6 degrees as the sun sets. The dust, the reunions, the smell of food waft on the night air. Like an Ekka for freaks and lefties of the old school.
The Go-Betweens tribute, in the form of Kate Miller-Heidke and a brass band play three numbers, but it falls short of the mark in some ways, although the songs are beautifully delivered. 'Cattle and Cane' is the highlight, working well with the slightly jazz style.
And then it was time for the Saints. The anticipation continued to build to almost agonizing levels, the crowd surged towards the stage. Keupper appears and starts up the guitar, and then the band is onstage thumping out 'Swing for the crime'. The audience soaks up the amazing scene of Keupper, Bailey, and Hay together again, working their magic as if they'd never been away. The set drawns heavily from 'Prehistoric Sounds'; the intervening years just fade away. They follow with 'Perfect Day', 'All Times Through Paradise', 'No Time', 'Stranded', 'The Prisoner', and into a glorious 'Nights in Venice'. Bailey stalks the stage like a man who's just buried Elvis and wants to dance on the grave; Keupper is attacking his beloved Strat with a screwdriver; Hay is thrashing away at the kit like a demon; and everything is perfect with the world.
Highlights: Black Assassins' guerilla performance; Kev Carmody; The Saints from start to finish; the cop who pulled us over afterwards and asked about the gig before confessing to being a punk fan. And this dialogue about a security guard come on far too heavy with crowd control, witnessed during the exodus after the Saints:
Andy Nehl: How about that f.....ing bouncer!
Andrew Stafford: Pig City!
(To continue as RSI allows over next few days.)
Other reviews & views:
The Black Assassins: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=119657765&blogID=289023033 and Assassins live at Pig City video: http://www.blackassassins.net/pigcity.html
'Good at the time': http://goodtimemusic-overhere.blogspot.com/2007/07/pig-city-retrospective_21.html
Senator Bartlett's blogged on the gig: http://andrewbartlett.com/blog/?p=1588
Courier-Mail: http://blogs.news.com.au/couriermail/showbritz/index.php/couriermail/comments/pig_city
News.com gallery: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/gallery/0,23816,5024294-5007115-1,00.html
ABC review: http://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/stories/s1979152.htm?brisbane and http://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/stories/s1978931.htm?brisbane (with pics in sidebar)
Pix from blogger John Cran: http://jonsbigadventure.blogspot.com/2007/07/pig-city.html
Item posted by AutoEditor at 11:17 am ::
