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Dappled Cities

Saturday August 29, 2009 at 12:00 AM
Audience:  18 and over
The Zoo
711 Ann St, Fortitude Valley
QLD, 4006, Australia.
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Dappled Cities

For the first time, Dappled Cities are touring with visual aids. Perhaps this is how they always imagined their stage show: augmented by illuminated fans and brightly-coloured projections that are not much more advanced than the Windows screensaver catalogue. But having seen them several times before, something about this newly image-conscious Dappled doesn't sit well. While this'd be a sterling introduction for those who've recently climbed aboard, tonight they're trading integrity for glamour.

Even when the band don light suits for the encore – the same ones used in the 'The Price' video – it feels like a gimmick. During the encore break, the show takes a turn for the bizarre when a couple of the band's Disney-produced “Alphabreaks” vignettes are played on screen: FYI, “Y is for yodel” and “H is for harmonica.” They're actually really fucking cool, and well-received; to be among a room full of adults cheering for children's songs is surreal.

None of these observations would hold much weight if the band were firing tonight, but they're not. Despite their fawning over this Brisbane crowd as the best of the tour - I'm skeptical, given that they tweeted the same thing about Sydney last week - the band just aren't hitting historically high notes. While an array of darker Zounds material is showcased - as opposed to the blindingly bright pop of 2006's Granddance - the plaintive 'Beach Song' from the latter stands strongest. Tonight, even the usually jubilant 'Holy Chord' is met with muted appreciation.

by Andrew McMillen

mathieson  said about 1 year ago:

I'd be inclined to lean the other way: Australian band does something other than playing a set and awaiting an encore for their live show. A welcome change.

Are they really ''trading integrity for glamour''? Do light suits and Alphabreaks clips denote glamour?


steveholt  said about 1 year ago:

Saw them at the Corner in Melbourne this tour and didn't come across as gimmicky at all.


steveholt  said about 1 year ago:

And especially given they're now playing bigger venues you expect a little more out of the show than just meat and 3 veg


annehelena  said about 1 year ago:

I agree with Mathieson (particularly on the dubiousness of ''trading integrity for glamour'' - rubbish), but McMillen did say that the music itself was a bit iffy at the gig he attended, so I can see where the suggestion that they focused more on the visual than the music could come from.

Got to wonder whether they'd have played badly without the visual aides, though. Perhaps they just had a bad night and the visuals had fuck all to do with it.


shaun  said about 1 year ago:

Maybe they were really pissed off that they weren't at Flip Out instead.


dombro  said about 1 year ago:

Light suits are totally glamourous!! I want one for my next party.


Goal attack  said about 1 year ago:

Show clearly needed more Ramps-styled interperative dance routines.


mud  said about 1 year ago:

Was there and agree. There was something slightly embarrassing about the whole show. It felt like watching a rock band Field of Dreams. It's really admirable that they want to push it and become rock stars right this second, and they are a good band who deserve to get there in time, but the whole thing seemed kind of creepy and forced, they were more in to it than the audience from what I could see. But the audience were kinda offputting too. Something sure weren't right at that show.


andydepressant  said about 1 year ago:

Light Suits in Fortitude Valley = ''showing up to a [Truck Rally] in a Boy George costume.''

You ain't from around here is ya?


whatwhat  said about 12 months ago:

saw em in adelaide and they were a blast - so much fun. the light suits just added to it.


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