Dandy Warhols - Gig Review

The crowd were buzzing as the Dandy Warhols ambled onto the stage all low-key, rock star cool. The energy built as they kicked off with some of their trademark psychedelia with rows of coloured lights flashing hypnotically behind the stage. They slid effortlessly into We Used To Be Friends and the audience were purring their approval. When lead singer Courtney Taylor announced “We could be here all night” after some troubles with keyboards, the crowd let out an expectant howl.

But it really went downhill from there—Everest style. The Dandy’s seemed flat and it really felt like they were going through the motions. Perhaps they’d celebrated the election of their new president a little too hard, or maybe they were just on some very powerful tranquilisers, but they sailed through the set in a complete trance. The most animated that Courtney Taylor got on stage was when he decided to don a hat halfway through the set.

The crowd fell into a serious coma. They were talking over the music, going out to the smokers balcony for a leisurely puff and lining up for more drinks at the bar (possibly to try and forget that they paid 90 bucks for a ticket). They were momentarily roused by the hits—Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth, sung with Beach Boysesque harmonies, Bohemian Like You and Get Off. But even these anthems were played with a lacklustre quality and people quickly slumped back into a daze.

There were a few flashes of brilliance in some short moments of atmospheric experimentation with Peter Holmstrom playing a droning slide guitar, Courtney playing around with a wah wah pedal and Zia McCabe creating druggy sounds on the synth (she even got the harmonica out at one stage). But for the most part, the gig seemed to be overly rehearsed and lacked the spontaneity of a good live show.

It was a real shame because reports of the Perth and Brisbane shows were of high energy performances and lively stage banter. This was the last gig of the Dandys Aussie tour and it felt like they just wanted to get through it and jump on the next plane back to Portland.

The Dandys left the stage, the lights went on and the audience headed straight for Bourke St—not one person cheered for an encore. After a couple of minutes, Zia McCabe came back alone and finished with a sugary ballad about daisies.

The Dandy Warhols have released seven albums with some fantastic songs and have well and truly perfected the art of rock bravado but, unfortunately, very little of their talent shone through in this gig. It might have been an off night but it left me wondering whether, after 15 years together, maybe it’s time for them to start some new projects and reignite the intensity.