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The Press Article
Supergrass
Arena, Brisbane, Australia - 24 February 2000
The memory of three very white English boys blustering their way through I Should Coco and In It For The Money in the afternoon heat at the Big Day Out a few years ago pales into insignificance next to their return trip. It's the perfect show to cap off a week of great shows: if it wasn't for Supergrass's infectious exuberance, some of us would be having trouble staying on our feet.
It'd be fair to say this audience doesn't exactly like the Standing 8 Counts' garage rock, but they're likely to remember them, which is half the battle. Aside from their strung-out jazzy 'Naked Party', this set fits tonight's bill. 'Pablo Picasso' takes on extra dimensions in this forum: all taut, singing guitar, propulsive beats and don't mess-with-me vocals, it demonstrates the ease at which this band can nail a riff. Rock'n'roll with finesse.
Perth's Eskimo Joe deal in novelty rather than the classics - even their bass player's AC/DC shirt can't fool us there. They're more pop than rock, of the three-and-a-half minute variety, and while they play all of their catchy radio hits, there's a lack of variety in their set. In a word, bland.
Supergrass, on the other hand, are a band bursting at the seams with ideas. Taking a classic British pop approach (think Rolling Stones, Beatles, Kinks, Who, Buzzcocks, Jam and then some) they've moulded it into their own distinctive voice. Since their last visit, they've grown out into their sound as much as they've grown into their looks (phwoarrr!) and everything about their performance is fine-tuned.
All their playing is spot-on: from Gaz Coombes' staccato riffs and Danny Goffey's punchy drumming down to finer details like Mickey Quinn's falsetto, this set has no weak points. Keyboards add a jaunty touch to songs from all three Supergrass records. This all contributes to a larger than life show - kind of like a mad cross between Magical Mystery Tour and Stoneage Romeos and all the better for it.
Introspective numbers (take 'Late In The Day', for example) give the set additional weight, but the momentum brought about by the breakneck pace of songs like 'Sun Hits The Sky' and their cheeky first single 'Caught By The Fuzz' is what amplifies the feeling of celebration that permeates this show. If you don't feel alive now, you never will.
Eileen Dick, Time Off - 01 March 2000
Arena, Brisbane, Australia - 24 February 2000
The memory of three very white English boys blustering their way through I Should Coco and In It For The Money in the afternoon heat at the Big Day Out a few years ago pales into insignificance next to their return trip. It's the perfect show to cap off a week of great shows: if it wasn't for Supergrass's infectious exuberance, some of us would be having trouble staying on our feet.
It'd be fair to say this audience doesn't exactly like the Standing 8 Counts' garage rock, but they're likely to remember them, which is half the battle. Aside from their strung-out jazzy 'Naked Party', this set fits tonight's bill. 'Pablo Picasso' takes on extra dimensions in this forum: all taut, singing guitar, propulsive beats and don't mess-with-me vocals, it demonstrates the ease at which this band can nail a riff. Rock'n'roll with finesse.
Perth's Eskimo Joe deal in novelty rather than the classics - even their bass player's AC/DC shirt can't fool us there. They're more pop than rock, of the three-and-a-half minute variety, and while they play all of their catchy radio hits, there's a lack of variety in their set. In a word, bland.
Supergrass, on the other hand, are a band bursting at the seams with ideas. Taking a classic British pop approach (think Rolling Stones, Beatles, Kinks, Who, Buzzcocks, Jam and then some) they've moulded it into their own distinctive voice. Since their last visit, they've grown out into their sound as much as they've grown into their looks (phwoarrr!) and everything about their performance is fine-tuned.
All their playing is spot-on: from Gaz Coombes' staccato riffs and Danny Goffey's punchy drumming down to finer details like Mickey Quinn's falsetto, this set has no weak points. Keyboards add a jaunty touch to songs from all three Supergrass records. This all contributes to a larger than life show - kind of like a mad cross between Magical Mystery Tour and Stoneage Romeos and all the better for it.
Introspective numbers (take 'Late In The Day', for example) give the set additional weight, but the momentum brought about by the breakneck pace of songs like 'Sun Hits The Sky' and their cheeky first single 'Caught By The Fuzz' is what amplifies the feeling of celebration that permeates this show. If you don't feel alive now, you never will.
Eileen Dick, Time Off - 01 March 2000