Review from Music Journo Mark Chandler (Bands of Brisbane) Want to get ahead get a hat. But if you want to get ahead and have some fun then get a Pork Pie hat, or a Fez, and go and see the Sunny Coast Rude Boys. Which is exactly what I did last Saturday night at the Triffid.
As is the custom now, it was a stinking hot and humid night. But thankfully the Triffid has ex-soviet military air-conditioning units so the place is like a meat locker inside. The night began with Matt Ward and the Blow Up Mod Radio crew from 4ZZZ spinning some disks outside in the courtyard. A fabulous addition to the evening, one which I hope they do again although I didn’t see any of it because I was inside in the air-conditioning running around naked being chased by security.
Setting Sons: Surely the toughest assignment in the tribute band world is playing The Jam. That and Three Dog Night, but that’s probably just me because I can’t sing that high. However, the Setting Sons have a damn good crack at it and mostly succeed. They certainly capture the powerful Post Punk roar and raw stylish energy of the Jam. And I mean the real Post Punk here. Not the fifty-years-on ‘Post Punk’ that’s used to describe almost every band these days. You might as well say bands are ‘Post Napoleonic’. Setting Sons strap you into the 70s music bus and you’re off at break neck speed. Close your eyes and Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and the other guy are taking you on a New Wave journey back in time listening to music that’s as fresh and punchy now as it was when it was first written.
Baggy Trousers: So if you've come in off the street and you're beginning to feel the heat, well you’re in the right place. The Triffid, and fez’s, are cool. Baggy Trousers pump out the Madness tunes like a food truck selling deep fried chicken balls at a building site. But speak to an educated follower of Ska and they’ll tell you that Madness are not really a true Ska band. There’s two reasons they say that. First reason is they prefer their ska bands to be dirt poor with only one hit song but with a bunch of obscure overpriced singles available on Discogs. Second reason is they’re dull people who’s heads are so full of trivia, when you’re stuck next to them on a flight home from Dubai you lose the will to live. Madness, and by default Baggy Trousers, are a bop! Everyone knows every word to every song and everyone has a wonderful time dancing and singing along. Everyone except of course the Ska-Lords who are outside on their knees facing towards Orange street and praying.
Sunny Coast Rude Boys: Often SCRB are the support act for a touring iconic Ska band so it was wonderful to see them headlining. And as wonderful as it is to see some of those older Ska bands from back in the day, if truth be told the voices are a bit thinner, the hair is certainly a lot thinner and the bands and the waist lines aren’t quite as tight as they once were. So if you want to see a Ska band at the peak of its powers then go see the Sunny Coast Rude Boys. Great vocals, a freight train horn section, off beat percussion and at quirky boppy ska bass, guitar and keyboards. But the sum of the parts does not a ska band make. That comes from the energy and fun and sheer love of what they’re doing that pours from the stage, and that makes it what it is. And what it is is tight. Mick Hughes out front keeps it all moving along apace while the band roam around on stage like a rugby maul in search of a game. But every song is tight as the band bounce along with complete trust in one another. For me, this is Ska, the sort of music that could reanimate a corpse. Mostly covers, a few originals - the SCRB are seriously good at what they do and what they do is entertain.
Now usually at these gigs the crowd head off like a herd of turtles at the end of the night with crook hips and dodgy knees all round. But it was pleasing to see some younger faces out there on Saturday night. A new generation discovering the sheer joy of live ska music. Because this truly is the one style of music that cannot ever be replicated on any recording. No matter how expensive the single is on Discogs
Setting Sons, Baggy Trousers and the Sunny Coast Rude Boys played The Triffid Saturday night 03/02/2024 Some superb photos of a great night - CLICK HERE - From the amazing KIM GRIMLEY NEXT GIG - SAT 24 FEB - SOLBAR , MAROOCHYDORE
