Reviewed onSaturday July 2 (photo by Ashley Mar)
True to the spirit of Dan Kelly, Gay Paris are well and truly drunk on election night. Then again, one supposes they would be in the exact same situation regardless of whether Australia’s political future lay in the balance or not. This is Gay Paris in their element – swashbuckling, swaggering and sinister, blending a love of hollered blues rock with devil-summoning heavy metal. As long-time friends of tonight’s headliners, they prove to be an exceptional complement to the bill.
Perhaps the band’s greatest trait is the fact that all four members have the charisma and stage presence of a frontman. Away from Luke Monks’ satanic howls and mumbo-jumbo banter, Lachlan Marks adds some voltage to his churning electric guitar, while Dean Podmore saunters around stage right like he owns it and Adam Simpson leaps from tall drum fills in a single bound, sounding like some sort of avalanche with each and every hit. Not even a dodgy mic cord can kill the rhythm – Gay Paris are one of the few bands in this great southern land doing all they can to keep music evil. God may save the Queen, but Satan has other plans for these gents. Long live.
After what was supposed to be a single-gig joke, the band formerly known as The Dairy Brothers – and commonly known to hirsute audiences here and abroad as The Beards – are shutting up shop. The guys have spent half the year waving a long goodbye to those who have supported them over the years, and amazingly, they’re still not done. Tonight, The Beards have come back to Sydney for a full-career retrospective split across two sets – the first has them donning dinner suits and going acoustic, while the second is a loud-and-proud beard party.
There are advantages to both – the first half sees a revival of some obscurities, such as ‘Shaved Off His Beard’ and a cover of ZZ Top’s ‘Sharp Dressed Man’. Set two, meanwhile, lets the audience drown out lead singer/keytarist/saxophonist Johann Beardraven on the tried and true ‘A Wizard Needs A Beard’ and the Hottest 100-placing ‘You Should Consider Having Sex With A Bearded Man’.
Yes, it’s been a ridiculous journey – but dammit, we’ve been there every chin-stroking step of the way, and there’s no doubt we’ll be running after the train and waving at it long after it leaves the station. Goodnight, sweet Beards.
