Doug Anthony Allstars: Daas Live

There are so many reasons why a revival of the Doug Anthony Allstars shouldn’t work.

Given the Allstars have always been about doing shit that shouldn’t have been possible, it’s unsurprising the bastards pulled this off too. Warmed up by Flacco (Paul Livingston, also the new ‘guitarist’), “what’s left of the Doug Anthony Allstars” took the stage a bit after 8.30pm and went hard, without lube, for the next two hours. While the crowd had clearly aged, that hadn’t wearied the boys, still managing to shock the shit out of those who were wanting just a nice night out. “I think some of you might have forgotten what we were like,” Paul McDermott snarled with the smile that only someone taking a clear swipe at Rolf Harris while making fun of his “crippled” colleague can. Tim Ferguson’s Wymyn’s Literature is still a thing of fucking beauty, and references to ‘the old days’ were done with the right amount of nostalgia and cynicism — a nod to the faithful without being their own tribute act. Their comedy is as sharp as it always was, the music remains unique and flawless (with some great additions) and yes, they do still “fuck dogs in the park after dark”. Worth triple the price as the kings remain on their throne.