The Dandy Warhols @ HQ, 27th October ’16
Thank god for The Dandy Warhols!
The Dandy Warhols returned to Adelaide to play a ripper show in front of an enthusiastic crowd and as Courtney Taylor-Taylor said it’s like we’ve played this venue a billion times. There was definitely something in the air tonight because everything was just perfect sonically and combined with a stellar set list it was definitely one of The Dandies best.
Hats off to opening act The Morning Harvey who were fantastic fitting the bill just nicely. It is great to be able to see this great band at the start of their careers and no doubt it will be an upward trajectory from here. The Morning Harvey is like a combo of Stone Roses and Ride thrown in to a blender with a delicious blend of catchy indie pop resulting.
Just on ten o’clock The Dandies took to the stage with Taylor-Taylor saying “thanks for welcoming us back to Radelaide in this crazy illusion of tombs” commenting on the “crazy” redesign since they last played here in A-Town. It is almost expected that the set opens with Be In from their 1996 breakthrough album …The Dandy Warhols Come Down. It doesn’t take long for the set to start picking up pace with Crack Cocaine Rager from the Black Album. The crowd knows it and Taylor-Taylor says, “fucking sweet sounds, sounds so great”.
In true HQ fashion Taylor-Taylor makes an observation warning fans that they may never see their shoes again referring to the fact the floor is that sticky. Get Off went off and was a welcomed addition to the set but I think the new songs were a real treat and how well they were woven in to the set. Pope Reverend Jim and Styggo were great and so to was cult hit I Love You. Current single Catcher In The Rye will no doubt be a set staple and the new spin on Plan A went down well. Much maligned album got a look in with Everyone Is Totally Insane getting a look.
It was the hits that set the crowd in to hyper drive with We Used To Be Friends followed by Bohemian Like You proving to be worthy of making the night’s highlights reel. With a career that spans twenty two years the band looks far from tired and the well oiled machine of Courtney, Zia, Brent and Peter will continue for many more years to come. Godless minus the trumpet sounds just as good now as it was when they played it when this venue was known as Heaven Nightclub many moons ago. Pete International Airport morphed in to a ripping version of Boys Better. As per Dandies tradition these days there was no encore, giving fans just enough but leaving them wanting more.
After the show in the laneway outside the venue the band weren’t in a hurry to get back to the hotel catching up with fans, signing autographs and posing for photos topping off the night perfectly. Courtney says it will be a couple of years before they return for another tour – let’s hold them to that!
Whether it is rummaging through vinyl at record stores such as Clarity and Title finding hidden gems to scouring the internet to find that album by the next big thing or chasing bands to get that elusive autograph and photo his passion is music all the way.
- Aversions Crown - January 27, 2017
- Sick Of It All - January 19, 2017
- Refused - January 11, 2017
