Heading out to a gig on a cold Sydney Saturday night. It didnt appeal to be honest, however away i went, to a small Sydney venue known as The Vanguard in King St Newtown. What is basically a former small theatre, the place was intimate and full of charm, with a strange mix in the crowd, from well dressed folk to the grunge clad crew, it seemed there were people there from all walks of life. I’d heard that headliners Gay Paris were an enregetic band that had a good following, so to see the first group on stage called the Good Ship complete with old time Mariner costumes, I’d actually wondered if I’d got the right gig. With nearly a dozen people up on stage, piano accordian in hand, it wasnt wrong before I realised the joke was on me, The Good Ship rocked with lyrics laced with colourful language and humour, their innocent looks belied their wicked ways. Next up was Kira Puru, glass of red in one hand, her voice was powerful, her songs were beautiful (a fellow punter described her as ‘empowering’) and her on stage presence was obvious.
So on to Gay Paris. Forget their name as any indication of what they are like (unless you love ironic humour), these guys thrashed, bashed and barged their way through their set using pretty much every rock star move seen in the last 30 years, lead singer Luke WH Monks owns the crowd stealing the crowds beer, kissing anyone who wants it (and some who dont’t), he wails like an American preacher man in between songs before jumping, dancing and belting out lyrics like a madman. And I say madman in the nicest way, there are so many bands who should come see Gay Paris in order to understand how to entertain a crowd, they are worth every cent of their cover charge, its one of the very few times I have been disappointed to see a band come to the end of their set. Go see Gay Paris any chance you get, they are one of the most entertaining bands you will ever hope to see, and may re-install my faith in live music.
