As the room filled up and the rest of the band had assembled, Nic Offer made his triumphant entrance on stage. Founder and front-man for !!!, Offer’s reputation clearly precedes him as he received a standing ovation simply for walking out.
Joined by powerful London singer, Lea Lea, they both came out amped-up, appropriately opening with ‘NRGQ’ to lift the energy levels of the room. Much has been written about Offer’s flamboyant stage presence but there’s something very cool about someone who’s really into what he does.
Dressed in smart jacket and his trademark pool boy shorts, Offer is Angus Young without the guitar. Stalking the stage, his dancing seems almost choreographed yet totally unhinged. He can go from flailing arms and contorted faces, to standing dead still, surveying the audience before the inevitable eruption that follows.
Playing mostly songs from their latest album, Shake the Shudder, !!! brought the party and blasted through high-octane versions of ‘Dancing is the Best Revenge’, ‘The One 2’ and ‘Throttle Service.’
The rest of the band deserves equal credit. While appearing in stark contrast to Offer and Lea Lea’s frenetic energy, they held down a tight groove to offset the wildness. Guitarist, Mario Andreoni is a serious shredder and had his fair share of the limelight with one particularly blistering guitar solo in ‘Except Death’.
Drummer, Paul Quattrone was not to be neglected either, locking it down with a furious and unerring intensity. Dan Gorman on keys and Tyler Pope on bass completed the rhythm section, holding it all together with controlled composure and self-assuredness.
Offer was truly the star of the show though, jumping into the crowd on several occasions and getting swept up in the sea of people. Back-up singer, Lea Lea even joined the party on one occasion.
Not forgetting their punk origins, the middle section culminated in the explosive, raw power of ‘Pardon My Freedom’ as the audience sang along to Offer’s furious, flurry of “like I give a fuck(s).”
By this point there wasn’t a still body in the room, as the gyrating bodies made for one hot, sweaty dance-floor (Offer needing to towel down on several occasions). Closing out the set with fan favourites, ‘One Girl/One Boy’ and ‘Slyd’ from 2013’s, Thr!!!er, the room had reached fever pitch.
Of course the encore followed, with the seasonal choice to perform the relatively unknown, ‘And Anyway it’s Christmas’ (just because…you know?) before finally blowing the roof off with the raucous, ‘Yadnus’ to ensure everyone left without ear drums.
Highlight: The extended jam glory of ‘Except Death’.
Lowlight: Having to trudge 10 minutes in torrential rain after the venue mix-up.
Crowd Favourites: Nic Offer’s multiple stage dives.
