Then along comes Jason Webley and proves undoubtedly drinking is an unfairly demonised past time. Armed with a piano accordion, acoustic guitar and a fiery gypsy tongue, Webley led the crowd through a raucous set of gypsy drinking songs. The strangest thing about Webley is the transformation that takes place when he jumps on stage. The whole night I kept seeing this strange man wondering alone through The Thornbury Theatre with his hands in his pockets and a morose look on his face eyeing everybody off. I’ve never seen the man perform before so I thought he was just a weird dude who had been rejected by a lady that night, but as soon as hit the stage he became the embodiment of a gypsy king; screaming, stomping and never letting up during his disappointingly short set.
Kira Puru & The Bruise are easily one of the best bands in Australia and yes, I’m now a fan of their music so all journalistic objectivity goes out the window… but it’s true. They’re just pure fucking attitude and that’s the way music really ought to be. They’ve combined Kira’s amazing jazz vocals to The Bruise’s dirty swing/grunge sound with some really quite disturbed lyrics, all of which are made all the more chilling by Kira’s smooth voice. Witness this for yourself, and you’ll quickly understand the strange juxtaposition.
As to the other bands I think it’s fair to say the Boho Ball hasn’t let down on its reputation. Martin Martini opened the night with a few strange new songs with just he and his Nord (the only one I recall was about two trucks carrying oranges hitting one another). Mojo Juju was mesmerising as she belted out an incredible rendition of I Put A Spell On You with talk of a new band coming very soon. Mikelangelo And The Tin Star busted out their surfy tunes accompanied by the lovely Go Girl Gadget Go Go and Rapskallion (as always) were incredible. A fine evening of bohemia’s strangest and greatest.
