The Villains Live @ the Arnhem Club reviewed.
Written by Rob Stewart on November 14, 2015
‘The Villains’ live at the Arnhem Club November 13
Reviewed by Rob Stewart
Villains To The Rescue…
Because I’m just your average, run of the mill music wanker, and frustrated lounge room guitarist… I strolled down to the Arno this fateful Friday eve with some preconceived ideas of what I should expect from the nights entertainment that was to be supplied by Wollongong’s evil doer cover band the Villains.
I thought here we go, music by numbers, over rehearsed, over choreographed and quite possibly even scripted stage banter… So it was with much joy that I had a massive change of heart about half way through their opening number, and the smile that dragged itself from its sceptical hiding place and back onto my dazed and enthused poor excuse of a head, remained there for the rest of the arse shaking night.
With Hannibal Lecter on keyboards, The devil thumping the tubs, the Joker on bass, Darth Maul on guitar and the Riddler on vocals, it made for one very colourful bunch of misfits and hatchet men whose interrogations of some of the best 80’s hits was an aural and visual coup de gras.
My formative years were spent in the 80’s so I’m well versed and even nerd like in my love of those sounds and the Villains distill all the very best elements and have managed to pack it all into a gaudy day glow coloured bum bag.
Before you could chant Frankie says Relax, they slipped effortlessly from massive new romantic one hit wonders to alternative cult classics with consummate ease and amazing interpretive likeness.
The Villains core group of members have been together for 9 years, and have gigged relentlessly in the very competitive East Coast covers circuit, so it should come as no surprise that they normally play to packed, pumping, sweaty, party hungry crowds… In Gove they played to a modest but nonetheless enthusiastic and highly appreciative mini mob, it was refreshing to see that my last printed rhetoric of hopefully inspiring Gove to shake free from its interest in apathy fell on deaf ears.
The Villains, unlike their literal definition, were in fact, my evenings saviours…and I for one will gladly jump in the bad guys bandwagon from here on… But right now I’m in need of a hangover cure!
Follow the Villains on Facebook here
I write stuff down when I can find a spare moment, I try not to work too hard.
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