It was a line-up resplendent in ‘90s/’00s Australian music royalty. A line-up that has probably never been in the same place at the same time, and almost certainly never will again.
Such was the bulk of the quintuple-pronged show that it started at the ungodly early time of 5:30pm on a Friday. This meant that getting there for the supports wasn’t easy for all working people, although there seemed to be plenty that made the effort to arrive by the time Eskimo Joe hit the stage as the third act – The Mavis’s and Ben Lee having already warmed up the early crowd.
The West Australian band have famously re-embraced their breaking hit, “Sweater”, nestling it between their much more serious “Black Fingernails, Red Wine” and the song that probably broke them properly: “From The Sea”. They were tight and genuinely reminded everyone of how good they were and still are. Playing Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So” on tape at the end was surely a bit of cheek. Why not “Undone – The Sweater Song?”
In their hey-day, Machine Gun Fellatio, were known for their debauchery on and off the stage. Their songs range from cheeky to cheesy to pornographic, and their on-stage art borrows from cabaret and the provocative. The band warned us that the show would contain “sexual references, drug references, strong coarse language, strobe effects, and nudity” and they didn’t lie. You’d be disappointed if it didn’t!
KK Juggy (aka Christa Hughes), with a megaphone in hand, appeared solo to perform the song that (unsurprisingly) rarely ever got radio-play, ”(Let Me Be Your) Dirty Fucking Whore”. The crowd were primed and had already started to sing along. This was not going to be a kid-friendly show. But they were there anyway, perched on their parent’s shoulders in some cases.
The band loves a gimmick, and in true Coldplay style, the crowd were treated to something exciting to look at for nearly every song as the hits were delivered in style. “100 Fresh Disciples”, “The Girl of My Dreams Is Giving Me Nightmares”, “Rollercoaster” and of course the one that started it all, “Mutha Fukka on a Motorcycle”, with Juggy again appearing solo in a nun’s habit and tambourine.
Lead singer, Pinky Beecroft, wearing his best Hugh Hefner inspired lounge suit was on form, “So many hits, so little time,” he declared, as the roadies hurriedly set-up a keyboard for Beecroft to perform “My Ex-Girlfriend’s Boyfriend”. For a band that hasn’t performed since the 2005 break-up, the execution of their songs, as convoluted as they can be, went off (mostly) seamlessly. The spark machines added some extra verve to the hectic nature of having 7-10 people on stage at any one time along with a rotation of singers, including the pure voice of “The Widow Jones” and Chit Chat jumping around as only Chit Chat can.
One could not help but pine for the days when bands could be edgy, provocative and just pure fun. No pigeon hole could ever keep MGF contained and that complete perceived randomness of the group was something that attracted and split their fans – and ultimately the group themselves.
“Unsent Letter” still goes down as one of the greatest Australian songs of our time, a hugely underappreciated piece. Both sweet, heart-breaking and minimalist but creating such an impact. Its performance was everything we’d hoped for.
The end of Machine Gun Fellatio, again, was suitably with a bang. “Panty Liner”, along with a prop ship, “the S.S Panty Liner” a human sized pad and a stage full of debauchery was the only way the band could round out their first and (probably) last ever performance at The Hordern Pavilion. We will miss them….again.
TISM don’t want to quit and nor should they. In a world that is literally heading towards man-made destruction, both physically and socially, a band that can cleverly poke fun, yet make completely valid points and do it all with a laugh and a bloody good beat, is vital and – well – is there anyone else stepping up to the plate?
You could accuse TISM of being a gimmick. A band that, with its anonymous members throwing in as many rude words as they can for a quick laugh, are just trying to shock and intimidate. But, anyone that has read their lyrics or heard them being interviewed knows that there is a lot more to them than that.
The show begins with a diatribe, as any TISM show should. Opening with “When Kyle Sandilands dies…” and it continuing from there with references to Bruce Lehrmann and Ben Roberts-Smith. It’s important to note – they always punch up!
It’s almost a shame to go into detail of what happens at a TISM show. It’s not that easy to describe and the surprises are what makes it so special. There’s the characters of (who we can assume) Ron Hitler-Barassi and Humphrey B. Flaubert launching themselves around the stage and off it. They would at times venture into the crowd and just sit with the audience. They did not stop moving, this show has to be the best exercise they’ve had in years.
They are a band that have built such an obsessive cult fan-base (mostly men it has to be said) that you sometimes forget that they also had a 18-year break until famously returning in 2022. Lyrics are screamed out, moshing was prevalent near the front and there was a feeling that you couldn’t look away for a second. In all fairness, the best view was probably from the stands to really get an overall feel for what was going on. But, then you wouldn’t get the bruises!
As has become tradition at TISM shows, the background is expertly used. Where they may have used construction workers in previous shows, this tour was themed around art and so a dozen artists could be seen painting on canvas at the back of the stage for the entirety of their set. Later during “(He’ll Never Be An) Ol’ Man River”, this art would be thrown into the audience, and of course, destroyed. “Death To Art” is not just a theory, it comes into practice as Barassi exclaims: ‘99% of art is shit!’
Amongst the chaos, the diatribes and the crowd involvement; the music itself, with guitar, bass, keys and at one stage a full brass band, almost felt inconsequential. Though it’s worth noting that they never miss a beat. Particularly in “Greg! The Stop Sign!!”, the band rise to the occasion as does the vocal crowd, as Barassi (I think) ran around the back of the Hordern Pavilion.
Six of the band’s new songs were played and they fit seamlessly into the set. In fact, you may not know they were new unless you knew their whole catalogue. “I Can’t Wait for My Generation to Die”, played off the back of the renamed “14 Years – Then Death” (it used to be 40), a song made to make us question our mortality. Later “Death Death Death” would remind us just how shit Amway was.
The encore included two versions of the same song. Is this art? “Defecate on My Face” became a country version before they launched into the better-known version to end the show. Shirts and pants were gone, masks had been replaced (maybe more than once) and everyone looked a little tired after so many years. But it was a fitting finale.
The whole crew and supports joined them on stage for one final photo and there was certainly the realisation that this whole show was something never to be repeated.
Love live TISM! Long live art! Long live the absurd!
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
TISM’s Death To Art tour closed at Hordern Pavillion on Friday 29th November. The album of the same name is available now.
Photo credit: Pete Dovgan – you can see more photos from the night HERE
