Review – Teddy Sexuals + Orange + Ancient Marinators

@ Bar Broadway 16Dec99

Another launch at Bar Broadway and all that seemed to be missing was the free feed which is normally put on for these occasions. The vibe was very definitely right-up, the crowd was sizeable and expectations for a night of good rockin’ were high among punters and fans alike.

Even the Ancient Marinators’ initial equipment failure didn’t dampen spirits, with jibes being thrown back and forth from each side of the stage. But after 5 of the longest minutes of Murray’s life trying to get his $2500 Fender happening again, they picked up the opening song where they left off and we were all back into it. Ancient Marinators presented a mostly-originals set with a concentration on combining 60s bubble-gum, 70s glam and 90s alternative-pop. Stand outs included the Glen Campbell-meets-The Hooters-plus-Custard inspired Hello Hawaii (featuring Murray on melodica), Melody Maker (from their “Mullet” EP – transferring beautifully from CD to stage) and West Coaster from their forthcoming release. The covers were not of the usual ilk – imagine if Pilot were around in today’s market and recorded It’s Magic for the alternative scene (sorry if you don’t know who Pilot were… I would KILL for a decent 70s music website!!). The same was done for ELO’s It’s A Living Thing and Manilow’s Mandy and all was well appreciated. Being seasoned performers all, from Glen’s rock’n’roll indie comic to Bruce’s John Liddell meets Tim Togers and Angus Young, you are assured of a good night out, whatever the venue, as are the band themselves!

The crowd grew through the set and I for one was totally vibed for the next band. Having promised them and myself to attend numerous gigs over the last year or so, I had to be here for this last one for the year. Things are looking huge for Orange with media exposure all over and, knowing that they totally cook on CD, I expected no less on stage, even in a supporting role. The acoustic guitars and mandolin hinted at something completely different, but from the amazing harmonics-riff opener through Sandra Dee, Mrs Byron, Evergreen, Mr Mean, to the obligatory covers and the closer Johnny Speed (their awesome new single), Kurt, Tim & the boys kept the pace up in a manner to which most present were already accustomed. Orange can rock it up with the best of them, and proved tonight you don’t need too much volume or a full-electric set-up to do so... Teddy Sexuals had a tough couple of acts to follow.

As the name suggests, Teddy Sexuals are in it for the fun alone. As a means to vibing up the crowd even more and giving the band time to tune and set up, two guys in teddy-bear suits (as Sandman suggests, all inhibitions are lost to a man in disguise) invaded the sizeable audience with teddybear biscuits. From that moment on, it was smoke, lighting effects (where was the focus on the last two bands?!) glasses like Sloan, armbands like Birdman, and a familiar pop bent that is sure to grace radios everywhere if it isn’t already. The large crowd of mostly-friends and family were totally rapt in the full-on assault on the senses that carried through as much of the set as I caught. While being quite excellent musicians and showmen, however, there seems to be an air of The Knack about these guys already… I would dearly love to be proven wrong because the local scene is severely lacking in the vibrance supported here in droves.

PG (Jacky) Gleeson