I remember listening to Regurgitator when I was in primary school and being told off by my mother for playing obscenities in her house. So when it was announced earlier in the year that the boys were back, moving to Melbourne to work on a new record, with a couple of live shows thrown in a long the way, I was one very excited little cookie.
Due to technical difficulties and a flight delay, I missed the first band of the evening, Melbourne’s funkiest 80’s inspired dance act World’s End Press, and managed to force my way to the front of the sold out band room just in time to catch the final few songs from Ouch My Face. Led by the petite Celeste Potter on guitar and vocals, Ouch My Face are a ferocious three piece that blew me away with their experimental post-punk noise that left the audience riled up, dripping with sweat and suffering from permanent hearing loss.
Potter is rock personified, and for a small lady, she has one hell of a loud voice. She screamed the house down whilst the band whipped up a massive wall of sound that was captivating to watch. Their energy and passion for performing was highly enjoyable and their huge, aggressive sound was amazing live. Be sure to check out Ouch My Face the next time they play in your town. Their set was an experience that everybody needs to have.
Quan, Ben and Peter walked onstage to thunderous applause and immediately satisfied their fans by starting off with an old favourite, “I Want To Lick Your Asshole”. Age has done little to weary the Gurge, and they put on a phenomenally energetic show that included an even mix of songs from their extensive back catalogue that spans a good 16 years. Quan and Ben had the audience hanging on their every word, with humorous banter between songs and an apology from Quan for doing what he does, to his girlfriend’s father who was in the crowd that evening.
The boys had the entire room jumping along with them as they powered through a fantastic set, with highlights including “Everyday Formula”, “My Friend Robot”, “Bong In My Eye”, “Blubberboy”, “Pretty Girls Swear”, “The Drop”, “Hullabaloo”, “Polyester Girl” and “The Song Formerly Known As”. New songs “Distractions” and “Miranda July” see Regurgitator going back to their roots, cranking out loud, fast paced disorderly rock that is ever so enjoyable. The night ended with “Black Bugs” (complete with a brief cover of Guns ‘N’ Roses epic hit “Sweet Child Of Mine” whacked onto the outro) and “Kong Foo Sing”, a classic song that has stood the test of time and is still just as excellent as it was back in 1996, when it first hit the Aussie airwaves.
Despite going through many transformations during the course of their career, seeing them genre hop from rock to electronica to rap to metal, Regurgitator’s live show was like catching up with old friends over beers and lots of bad dancing. The band clearly loves what they do and they are damn good at working a crowd up into a frenzy, leaving them begging for more. I look forward to hearing new material from Regurgitator in the near future, ‘cos the boys are back and they’re better than ever.
