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The
Mods'n'Rockers Rock'n'Roll Dance Party @ Souths, February 17, 2007:
As we lugged
in the last of the
gear upstairs to Souths in preparation for the
Mods'n'Rockers on a typically hot Brisbane summer night, I said a quiet
thank you for the GreazeFest falling in winter.
On all the gig info, the opening time said 8pm, but you can't hold the
rockers back when there is a good gig in town and the queue was forming up
the stairs by 7pm. By 8.15pm, the room was pretty much full and I could
have let the door staff go home! Yes, there were a few 'mods', but only a
handful, compared to the couple of hundred rockers ready to party.
Brandi & The Badcats opened the show with a top set of fillybilly
with Brandi spanking that big double bass like a naughty child. I haven't
seen Brandi play since their gig at the Troubadour last year and man, have
these cats hit their stride, much to the delight of the dancers. Since
moving to Brisbane from Melbourne, the The Badcats have practically taken
over the town, with gigs every weekend and happy punters everywhere.
Next up was
first of the 'mod' bands,
Screamin’ Stevie & the Credit Union. After seeing how
few mods turned up to the night, I knew these boys would have a challenge
winning over the mainly rockabilly crowd. Some rockers tried to dance, but
the beats were not ones they were used to. The sound level of the band was
also peaking, causing anyone who didn't like their tunes to exit to the
safety of the big deck at Souths, which in turn made the sound of the band
louder, as there was less people to 'soak up' the decibels. None of
this fazed the purple-caped Screamin' Stevie, who revived the spirit of
James Brown, thanking and gesturing to the crowd with his customary
wave throughout his set.
If the rockers sat on their hands for the Credit Union, were quick to fill
the dance floor when Mick Hadley & The Atomic Boogie Band hit the
stage. I've never seen the dance floor so crowded and I had visions of the
whole floor caving in to the downstairs bar!! Mick Hadley and his very
talented Atomic Boogie-ists put 150% into this show and really showed
everyone how to R-O-C-K! Song after song came straight out of the
rock'n'roll bible and the preacher sung like he was giving his final
sermon. It was simply a fantastic and most memorable show.
Where to go now, but back to the 1950s with some traditional rockabilly
tunes from West Texas Crude. The Crude have a new drummer known as,
'The Brewster' and boy can hit he 'em hard, making a perfect backing for
long time partners-in-crime, Andy (guitar) and Jon (bass). West Texas
Crude kept the dance floor bouncing with their trad favourites - Lonesome
Train, Flying Saucers Rock'n'Roll etc, sure we've heard 'em before, but
these songs don't lose their charm and tonight they sounded great.
Throughout the night, I was dj-ing a good mix of the 50s and the 60s and
received the bonus help of special guest DJ Leapin' Lawrie, who can spin 'em
like there's no tomorrow. When I faded out the final song in the wee hours
of the morning, some punters yelled out "keep playing" and,
exhausted from the heat and the dancing, I yelled back "go home, it's
over!!". Until next year, that is. See ya then!!
Here's a review of the show written by Rave Magazine that you can view
on their web site
http://www.ravemagazine.com.au/content/view/2612/82/
The following photos are courtesy of Pix by Pete, check his site
here: www.pixbypete.id.au
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