!!!

As their only Melbourne show alongside the ‘We Love Sounds’ festival over the weekend, !!! filled the Prince Bandroom to maximum capacity this evening. In hindsight, this is of no surprise.

Sydney’s latest flavour Amy Meredith kicked the night off on the right note. From playing in the band room at Pogo a few months past to supporting internationally renowned dance act !!! on their national tour, the boys are quickly forging a name for themselves. Think Cut Copy meets The Killers, a tad commercial at times, for lack of a better word – simply the boys know what works and what doesn’t. A rather good looking group of lads I must say, with what appears to be Rod Stewart on drums (when you see the hair you will understand). Not just a pretty face though, it seems Elliott Hammond has been playing with drumsticks since back when Blondes Have More Fun was in the charts. Well, perhaps not quite so far back seeing as he has a mere twenty-two years under his belt. Up front, Christian Lo Russo’s flamboyant gestures are visually magnetic and he brings life to what would otherwise be another take on the ever growing indie-dance-rock genre.

Next on tonight’s bill are new wave kids teenagersintokyo. No, they are not teenagers, nor are any of them from Tokyo. Like their Sydney counterparts who played earlier, they have plenty of mainstream appeal. While they are often referred to as a girl band despite having one male in their midst, their beats are far from ‘girly’ but rather a fusion of synth pop and techno rock. Their upbeat sounds compliment the atmosphere of the room accordingly. The haunting tune Very Vampyr sends the audience into a crazed form of dance, myself included. Surprisingly this is the first time I have seen teenagersintokyo play a show, seeing as they certainly haven’t been hiding under a musical rock - they have played alongside CSS, Midnight Juggernauts, Damn Arms, Lost Valentinos and Van She, to name but a few.

And finally, !!! take to the stage. Having played as support for the likes of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers as well as a number of other international musical acts, it is about time for !!! to step into the spotlight. I heard positive reviews from others who had previously seen the septet in action, and I will readily agree with these. !!! are an aural and visual delight. Nic Offer’s on-stage presence is mesmerising, to say the least. Not your stereotypical devilishly handsome frontman who girls would throw their panties at (does anyone actually do that?). I found his antics somewhat reminiscent of the dance scene in Napoleon Dynamite. What does baffle me is how he manages to exude so much sex appeal at the same time. Nic collaborates vocals with a female vocalist throughout the set who brings some African rhythms to the post-punk bass sounds. And can she shake her booty indeed!

If you were able to draw your attention away from mister charisma or the booty shaking at some point during the show, you would have been equally impressed by the calibre of the rest of the group’s performance. The homogeneity of such a band can only result from years of musical partnership, a rarity considering the vast number of members and instruments. !!! performed old material alongside tracks from their latest album Myth Takes, belting out their ever popular Heart of Hearts and ‘Must be the moon’ toward the latter part of their set. The band’s energy was highly contagious as I was greeted with several pushes and shoves and scuffles from the rowdy crowd accompanying me up front. No doubt, they were pleased when the group bounded back onstage for a well-deserved and anticipated encore.

It’s no wonder this ensemble is selling out show after show. !!! have been making music for over twelve years now, and they certainly have learnt a thing or two about performing. Judging from tonight, they are going to be around for some time to come.

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