BOC: Downunder

[Peter Sondergeld]

A few months ago when I heard that BOC were coming to Australia I did three things: I told everyone I knew who I thought would be interested, I bought a ticket to their only Brisbane show, and I re-subscribed to BOC-L (just lurking so far). BOC were technically a 'support' act for the Brisbane gig (last Thursday at the Tivoli Theatre) but that didn't matter much to me since I've waited 33 years for them just to get here! I first heard 'Reaper' (on the radio) and AoF (when my school friend's sister bought the LP) in 1976 and I've been listening ever since. Rather than rewrite it all, here's page with some background info about how they came to be here in 2013 http://digitup.net.au/ and here is a link to someone else's review of the Brisbane show http://www.i94bar.com/reviews/live-diu-brisbane-2013.php But here's my take:

I have to say I wasn't familiar with the Flamin' Groovies music but I liked their sound and I liked what they were doing. However, none of the songs grabbed me enough to stick in my memory. But it was still a good opener for the night.

Two Oyster Cult were next. If I have one genuine complaint it's that they didn't play for very long, maybe one hour max - a downside of being a 'support' act, I know. (I'm a big fan of the Hoodoo Gurus - the headline band - but I bought my ticket to see BOC) When I got home I wrote down as many of the songs as I could remember them playing and I think I've got them even if I don't remember the order they were played, but I can't help thinking I've missed one or two. Anyway, they opened with 'The Red and the Black' which really cooked and got the place rocking! In no particular order, they also did 'Golden Age of Leather', 'Godzilla', 'Burnin' For You', 'Last Days of May', 'ME262', and 'Don't Fear the Reaper'. I think now they might have done 'Fire of Unknown Origin', too, but then again I may have just dreamed that one later on! It was interesting to note that when Richie Castellano played his ripping solos (and they really ripped) he made it look really difficult and that yet somehow he was pulling off the impossible - compare that to Buck who just made everything look easy and effortless, like just another day at the office! 'Last Days of May' was an epic extended version with Buck and Richie swapping licks - it was brilliant and by itself was worth the price of admission. Kasim Sulton on bass was cool and he got a few moments in the spotlight with a collage of song snippets that he has played or recorded with other artists (Todd Rungren, Joan Jett, Meatloaf), and he got a bass solo. The drummer, Jules Radino, was great but I don't know anything about him (except what I've since read on the web). Eric was a real mystery man behind his wrap-around shades. He was in good voice and he had a bit of banter between songs, and he acknowledged all parts of the theatre throughout the show. However, he wasn't happy with his guitar at one point and he seemed to just walk off the stage with it, so Buck stepped forward and improvised for five minutes until Eric was ready to come back on! WTF? Buck got a bit of help from Jules to get the crowd clapping along and to try to give the impression that this was all part of the show, but I'm sure it was just Buck noodling on his guitar to cover a hole in the performance. I don't even recall seeing Buck re-tune his guitar let alone walking off to complain to his guitar tech! Anyway, in spite of all that, it was all very entertaining and life-affirming. If I have a second genuine complaint it would be that it wasn't the original band at the height of their powers ...

Having said all that, the truth is that the night really belonged to the Hoodoo Gurus. What a great live band and holy crap they just blew joint apart! They were loud, funny, fast, animated, fun, communicative, melodic, tight, hard rocking, and much more. I've since read that the guitarist, Brad Shepherd, is a BOC fan from when he heard them as a teenager, so presumably it was his idea to bring them out for this tour.

A few of my mate's caught the side-show in Sydney last Saturday night. I thought that the Brisbane gig was too low volume and maybe a bit subdued (jet lag? nerves in front of their first Oz audience? restricted space on stage due the headline act's gear?) and when I spoke to one of my mates on Sunday he told me what a high energy and interactive show he'd seen. I suppose when you're headlining you get the best of the venue - full volume, maximum time, and the whole stage to yourself! It also sounds like the band was taken aback that the Oz fans knew all the words. I really wish I'd been able to fly down for that show.

Just waiting for Albert to tour now! Maybe Joe and Alan would like to come along, too, for an antipodean sojourn!

Pete
And as a kind of 'Black and Blue Revisited', I'm off to see Black Sabbath tonight! :)