Gerling

There’s always something a bit special about a gig at the Lewi. Maybe it’s the fact that you have to drive for half an hour just to get there, more likely it’s the fact that it’s a country pub in the middle of nowhere and is generally the domain of the locals.

Occasionally, they put on a good band out there and the place suddenly transforms. That was the feeling on Saturday night as the pop, rock and electro sounds of Gerling, Starky and the Scientists of Modern Music competed for attention with a rowdy 60th birthday party.

The locals may have first realised something was up when the Scientists of Modern Music hit the stage. The Scientists play with such a terrific vibe. The synth sounds that they generate are brilliant, at the same time a piss-take and tribute to all those electronic bands of the late 70s and early 80s.

Songs like Electric Sunset, Technology and Star Love had most of the crowd pinned to the walls and wondering what the hell was going on. It was particularly enjoyable to hear a punter heckling the Scientists because they didn’t like techno. Which raises the question, what were they doing at a Gerling concert?

Starky were up next. It was an odd choice having them wedged between two fairly intense rock/pop/electro groups, but nevertheless it was good to see them, and certainly the crowd appeared surprised when they recognised some of their more familiar songs. One of the more bizarre moments came right at the beginning. Oblivious to their country pub surroundings, the band took to the stage with their own semi-classical introduction music. While it's good to see a band going that extra mile for a bit of theatrics, the Lewi probably isn't the place to do it. Although it wasn’t as over the top as the collection of effects pedals that the lead guitarist employed.

Starky seemed a bit disappointed at the lack of response from the crowd at first. All that changed when, in a moment of apparent frustration, the band incorporated Elton John’s Saturday’s Alright for Fighting into their song Saturday Night, Sunday Morning. The crowd responded and the dance floor gradually began to fill out.

While Starky’s set was good, and their better known songs like Girl Talk and Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah were well received, they lacked a real sense of enthusiasm and a good finale. In the end, people seemed to be resigned to politely stand around and wait for Gerling.

By the time the headliners walked on stage, the venue was getting quite full. Gerling know how to get the most out of any crowd and given they are up to their fourth album, hence the tour, they have an amazing selection of songs to choose from. Not surprisingly, the set relied heavily on songs from the new album, but there was enough of the old school Gerling there to keep everyone happy.

Good Timing and Turning the Screws, the two most radio friendly songs off Gerling 4, opened the set and got the crowd going in no time. In the City and Get Activated, both from the Bad Blood album, followed. In the City is such a simple yet powerful song. It tends to build a bit like a Berlin-era Bowie song and at the Lewi it was played with an amazing intensity.

More songs from Gerling 4 were next. Gator and When the Night Comes are less familiar songs, but with Gator’s Stooges-like pounding rhythm, the crowd had no trouble getting into it. The set also featured two B-Sides from the Who’s Your Daddy single. The first, Computer Life was nice, but the stand out was Deep Fryer (Ole).

Complete with samba whistle samples, the song took the atmosphere in the room to the next level as the band headed toward the end of the set.

Rounding out the night was the perennial crowd favourite, Who’s Your Daddy and Money.

After a quick break Gerling were back for the obligatory version of Ghost Patrol. That song never fails to please. It’s a fairly dynamic tune, that changes enough to make it really interesting as well as something to keep the crowd moving.

And with that, they were gone! Hopefully, the next tour isn’t too far around the corner.

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