Electric Six @ Gaelic Thurs 22nd July 2004

I always thought that Electric Six were a band whose music would befit a retroactive nightclub in the middle of a circus ring with crazy cabaret artists dangling from the trapeze. Having never seen their video clips, I had this mental image of performers decked out in Parliament and Village People flavoured outfits, swinging microphones around and busting ballistic manoeuvres. Their music painted a vivid picture in my mind and I was looking forward to the Electric Six live experience, whatever that may be. Having heard on the grape vine that the gig was sold out, we were well prepared to get there early to secure a spot with a view. We were not expecting to find a long queue out front at 9pm: punters were obviously pretty keen to catch local supports SPOD and Peabody. There was excitement in air and the line moved quickly once doors opened. SPOD were warming up the room with their quirky mix of electro-clash, rocked out disco and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. SPOD are two guys, a guitar, a drum machine and an effects box. They dance around the stage hamming up the performance with lewd moves and plenty of crowd interaction. SPOD were an appropriate opener for the night, they set the vibe and got the punters moving and laughing. Up next was Peabody, a punchy three piece with pacey ditties about being drunk and disorderly. They held the crowd�s attention and impressed with their tight and zealous performance.
Peabody�s popular hit �Stupid Boy (Full of Alcohol)� was well received as the punters loosened up their vocal chords and jostled for room on the heaving dance floor.

Peabody was a smart choice as segway to the headlining act. And what an act! Electric Six were nothing like I expected them to be, not one pair of bell-bottoms to behold. These guys embody everything that was great from the Eighties From the haircuts, to the tight pants, to the mirror shades, these guys oozed sex appeal from every angle. Electric Six are drums, keys, bass, rhythm, lead and vocals and they are all outstanding performers. In particular, the guitarists hung off their instruments with the right blend of nonchalance and technical dexterity: little stabs of legs, leaning out into the crowd, grand arcs of flamboyant persona endeared me immediately. The drummer was super tight too, whilst the keyboardist was pure magic. The vocalist has one hell of a voice: very Tom Jones in his manner, he belts out lyrics with the power of a gospel singer complete with hand moves and dinky dancing. I was dazzled by the thick, polished rock-funk sound that permeated the room � their recordings simply do not do justice to their live performance. There were blistering guitar solos, dynamic rhythms and grinding grooves. I was expecting something perhaps a little camp, but their very masculine show had an raucous effect on the audience: one guy got launched onto the stage much to his surprise, someone�s g-string found its home on the neck of a guitar and people were going crazy. They played all their familiar hits �Danger! High Voltage�, �Gay Bar� and �Dance Commander� but I also found their other material highly danceable. I enjoyed the gig so much so that I simply had to buy the t-shirt. I hope that Electric Six tour here again very soon, and would recommend catching them live. They are playing at the

Annandale next Tuesday 27th July. Get in early to avoid disappointment � Electric six is one act not to be missed.