12 August 2011
I dunno why but I always find weeks with public holidays to feel longer than normal, and last week was the longest in my recent memory. Every day felt like it should’ve been Friday. So by the time it really was Friday I wanted nothing more than to collapse and sleep till spring…but Taxi Violence were playing, so I knew that wasn’t an option…
As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m not a huge fan of the evening’s opening act, LA.VI. – I don’t actively dislike them, I just find them a bit bland…plus I’m inherently dubious of tambourines…
Though it was barely 11 when they finished, my exhaustion was screaming at me for not staying at home so I decided the only way I could handle the Plastics (who I really don’t like…) was with the assistance of alcohol. 15 minutes later (judging by the number of awful songs the bar DJs played during my wait) I was still drinkless (as were my neighbours, we’d just been continually ignored for some reason) and doomed to stay that way. The Plastics’ video was being played, signaling the beginning of their set, and I made my way back to the stage in an even worse mood than previously.
I can’t comment on their video for Caroline because it ended by the time I returned, but the last few frames didn’t look that interesting – yes, that’s unfair but I don’t like the band and I was not in a fantastic mood…and their set just re-enforced both sentiments.
I was really miserable by this point – the opening acts hadn’t won me over since the last times I’d seen them and neither had the venue, (though the central addition to the stage was pretty cool) and the DJ was filling the gaps between sets with a really random selection of headache-fodder. But I had faith that Taxi Violence would remind me why I’d come out and make me glad for doing so.
Their music video for Long way from home was introduced by Paul Snodgrass (at least I think it was him…I probably wouldn’t’ve recognised him had I not just seen his comedy show the night before – it’s very funny by the way). It’s a pretty cute video, not ground-breaking or anything but fun (and with more interesting-looking closing frames than the Plastics’).
As the last few bars of the video faded out, the first few from the stage faded in; the band dove into their opening track and proceeded to deliver a really awesome set. What I love about bands like Taxi Violence is that they’re just bursting with energy, and it’s so infectuous that the most hellish of weeks can be forgotten instantly.
Papa Smurf was going nuts next to me, Bingo was back to shower the crowd in golden sparks and Long Way from Home video star (and general Taxi Violence mascot) Big Head came out on stage before diving off it several times (and losing an eye somewhere in the crowd). Nic Roos from the Sleepers provided some acoustic guitar and backing vocals on a couple of tracks and the band even played a couple of new songs that, based on the crowd’s response, you’d swear were old favourites.
Awesome show, and a welcome escape from the stresses and worries of the week, which is, after all, what music should be: something that takes you away and makes you feel better. Thank you Taxi Violence.
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(The 2 new music videos aren’t floating around the internet yet, so, until they are, here are my favourite music videos from Taxi Violence & The Plastics)
Taxi Violence: Facebook | The Turn music video, starring Phillip Hotz (AKA Papa Smurf)
[edit – Long way from home video is up here]
The Plastics: Facebook | Caves music video (nice video, still not sold on the song though…)
[edit – Caroline video is up here, and I take it back, the last scene is alright…]
