Little Red

As much trepidation as I had for the crowd tonight, I couldn’t resist this awesome lineup. I arrived as early as possible, sadly missing The Breaks (I’ve seen ‘em before though, they’re rad, get into ‘em) but catching most of Good Time Party Band’s set. Singer Dan is a storm in a bottle; chaotic energy and raging vocals all inside a lovely neat sweater. Their bizarre- in a good way- blend of funk rock and psychadelia is instantly likeable and danceworthy. Kudos to Dan, also, for living his dream of crowd surfing for the very first time tonight at Ding Dong. I was a bit afraid many punters would drop the singer, considering some people’s odd sense of humour, but luckily all went well. Just like guitarist Jason’s t-shirt, I too heart TGTPB.

Ouch! My Face took to the stage; pint-sized singer Celeste is, too, deceiving in appearance. Her small frame and cuteness did not prepare me for the punk-rock ferocity of her voice. Her screams were terrifying in the best possible way. OMF are an awesomely helter-skelter Melbourne three-piece that turned the Ding Dong stage into an altar for anarchy. Their song Firehead is an awesome psychedelic-punk track- highly recommended.

Ah, Little Red. One of the most reliable acts in Melbourne. There are few bands of which I am absolutely guaranteed to have a brilliant time, no matter the venue or my own state of mind. One other band in this category of mine is The Basics, so whenever the two play together I almost lose my mind in all the awesomeness. Their take on 50’s nostalgia and old timey rock and roll is second to none, pulling it off with an odd skill, as if they had been there (making the boys, oh, about 60…gosh they look good for their age don’t they!). The self-proclaimed “world’s grooviest white R&B vocal group” certainly live up to their title. Tracks like Waiting and Cry Cry are drenched with 50’s cool, and their entire discography is reason enough to get up and dance. Frontmen Adrian and Dom ooze retro charm, channeling the likes of Mel Torme and good ol’ Frankie S. Finishing off with my favourite LR track, the happy-clappy Coca Cola (the song in which I was convinced the lyrics were “Coca Cola and rice” rather than “ice” which led to some very strange conversations about the merits of cooking rice with soda) Ding Dong was buzzing with the happy feet of the dancing punters. Always a pleasure.

Share this review on Facebook