The Vasco Era
» The Vasco Era Announce Their Last Show for 2012 - May 4, 2012
» The Vasco Era - Karova Lounge, VIC - December 18, 2010
» The Vasco Era - GPO, QLD - December 3, 2010
» The Vasco Era - Blues and Rocks by the Seaside - May 1, 2007
» When We All Lost It, The Vasco Era brought it on back - November 6, 2006
» The Vasco Era - Edinburgh Castle Hotel, SA - December 16, 2010
» The Vasco Era - Annandale Hotel, The, NSW - November 20, 2010
» Grouplove - January 4, 2012
» The Dum Dum Girls - January 3, 2012
The Vasco Era are a quality live band. Growing up near the coast they were always a staple on my local circuit and I honestly can never remember leaving a show disappointed.
Their strength always lied in their hard-rocking attitude, sing-along choruses and general commitment to good-time partying.
On their latest album Lucille the raw, garage craziness is often sidelined in favour of piano-driven rhetoric and *GASP* balladry.
Although a personal fan of both the records I held some apprehension that a large crowd expecting the relentless pre-Lucille Vasco Era may be in for a surprise.
Sid and co graced the stage and immediately launched into a cover of The Beatles ‘Why Don’t We Do It in the Road’ - a brilliant choice and perfectly matched to Sid’s maniacal vocal delivery. It was joined later in the set by two other covers: The Smith’s ‘I Know It’s Over’ and ‘Jack the Ripper’ by Screaming Lord Sutch.
Although there were a couple of jarring moments as the set list jumped between debut Oh We Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside and Lucille, for the most part the songs flowed impressively. The riotous response for new tracks ‘Oh Sam’ and ‘For No One’ matched the ovation for first album classics.
Credit has to go to Big Scary frontman Tom Iansek who jumped on keys for the new tracks and then dutifully stepped off stage when it was time for a three-piece rock out.
Perhaps the most exciting thing about any Vasco Era show is just how much fun the band appears to be having. Their enthusiasm to play songs and engage the crowd is so infectious that it is difficult to imagine anyone not enjoying themselves.
Traditional closer ‘Honey Bee’ finished the set and though the band didn’t return for an encore they had more than made their point. That point being – go see them next time.
