Closing Party - The Spanish Club, Melbourne

Melbourne is in the grips of a worrying and growing trend of Latte sipping trendies moving into exciting and vibrant areas, settling down nearby to long established music venues with a fine pedigree and a rich history, and then complaining about the noise. Why move into an area and then completely destroy what makes it just because you fancy a load of nice bars and cafes to ponce around in whilst you read trashy magazines secreted inside copies of Vogue? If you don’t want to be disturbed by groups of dirty rock musicians and their fans, then you don’t live near a venue, it’s perfectly logical! Many venues have already lost their live licenses with others crippled and the Spanish club (combined with a couple of other reasons) is the latest victim of the fashionistas fancying a flirt with the inner suburbs.
Enough of that, let’s focus on the positive.
Little Red appear on yet another bill, how they book and maintain their constant gigging schedule is a mystery and an impressive feat of endurance and energy, their slick sixties sounds have matured and honed by a slew of live shows, the songs and the band sound better than ever. Embers are perhaps one of the most experimental bands you’ll ever see in Melbourne, four guys with very little hair between them produce something that resembles noise from industrial machinery from two saxophones, a bass and drums, it’s the soundtrack to a headache, unyet strangely intriguing and enticing. Nation Blue are on top form tonight, the soundman has conjured balls and power from the infamously bad Spanish Club PA to match the bands blistering live performance as they scream, sweat and fling guitars about throughout their passion soaked set. The Meanies commence the final segue of fun bands to bounce around to tonight, with their old school rabble rousing Punk warming everyone up nicely whether they’ve just walked through the door or have been here since 2pm. What would posses a fairly talented bluegrass guitar player to one day think that donning a sparkling jump suit with modified helmet microphone would be a good idea. Judging by his slightly perverse stage repartee, probably a pursuit of women and alcohol as he encourages the audience to dip their breasts into his drink and sit on his knees whilst he plays, of course all of Bob Log 3rd’s set is a carefully crafted show, but it’s also damn good and a hell of a lot of fun!Finally Labjacd treat the crowd to a unique blend of Hispanic music, Jazz and Hip-Hop, everyone’s dancing, everyone’s melancholic and everyone’s holding a finger aloof to the neighbours. The end of the night comes and we bid a fond farewell to those glorious red walls and vast chandeliers, as Bob Log 3rd put it so eloquently, ‘What better way to celebrate the closing of the Spanish club than to sit on your favourite band?√Æ

Published in InPress (edited version…)