Live Review: Aqua

If tonight’s gig was a pizza it would have to be a quattro formaggi with lashings of ricotta, mozzarella, gorgonzola and parmesan and enough melted cheesy goodness to induce a coronary.

A couple of DJs who call themselves Vamp warm the crowd with a selection of nineties bubblegum that unapologetically takes in tunes from the Spice Girls, S Club 7, Vengaboys, Eiffel 65 and the Backstreet Boys. All those years ago this music caught the imagination of tweens in primary school but all grown up some 17 years later and well into their twenties they clearly still love this music.

The Vamp DJs looking a little like they could be besties with Hannah Montana showcase a cache of largely forgotten trashy dance music that despite being a very guilty pleasure makes the crowd a touch nostalgic. The room is mainly filled with some very excited women and a noticeable amount of them are sporting dyed pink hair or wigs. Some seem to be having a girl’s night out while others have brought their boyfriends or husbands, most of whom look a little uneasy. Eventually it becomes that there’s also a noticeable contingent of bears and queens sprinkled through the diverse crowd.

As the crowd waits for Aqua there is nervous speculation about what we can expect from tonight’s show given that the Adelaide show the night before was cancelled. Vocalist Lene has been down with the flu but this doesn’t stop the band from bursting onto the stage with a rocking rendition of Playmate To Jesus. The Scandinavian quartet appear keen to rock out and the arrangements tend toward the anthemic.

It is, however, impossible for them to shake of the Eurovision bubblegum aesthetic for which they are revered and tunes like Doctor Jones and Happy Boys & Girls has the crowd dancing for joy in the isles. Much of the set list is culled from the band’s first album Aquarium and most recent album Megalomania. Hardcore fans are disappointed that the title track from Aquarius is the only song to be featured from that album.

  After playing a handful of songs an apologetic Lene needs to give her voice a break.  She is clearly a capable vocalist but tonight she isn’t sparkling for us.  Lene disappears and leaves Rene Dif to entertain us for what feels like an eternity. He crack jokes, and allows fans to lick his bald head and take selfies with him. He even drops his red shorts when the ladies start chanting “Take it off!”. The fans seem to be having a lot of fun but this kind of banter clearly comes at the expense of songs many were expecting to hear.

The ironic brilliance of Barbie Girl elicits a huge of approval but tonight’s version feels rushed. Lollipop keeps the crowd dancing. Roses Are Red encourages a virtual stage invasion as it brings down the night. No encore and we leave with the feeling that the band is just glad they got through to the end of the night.