Live Review: Hey Geromino

Like most of the bars in Surry Hills, Upstairs Beseford is always bustling on a Saturday night, but last night, in celebration of their first birthday, the club had every room filled and a cue of eager party people lined down the block. This meant an exceptionally crowded and lively room to welcome back the Brisbane boys from Hey Geronimo, who played the final show of their successful Carbon Affair tour.

Promoting their new self-titled EP, the animated five-piece (minus their usual bass player) oozed enthusiasm in their songs and as well as their performance. Even after spending the day filming their new music video in the icy cold winds of Tamarama Beach, the band showed no signs of fatigue and got straight into a lively performance, preaching “girls shake your hands” for their first song Dreamboat Jack, and the girls in the crowd doing what they were told… and then some.

Co-Op Bookshop and Carbon Affair introduced the men in the crowd to the dancefloor as some flamboyant ass-shaking and finger-clicking was developed. The band responded with even higher intensity - all members bouncing around and singing boisterously, even the drummer who had no microphone. Excitement really hit its peak with a cameo from DaNaJ The Unstoppable who, after spending the first-half of the show pretending to be a photographer, jumped the stage just in time for his rap breakdown. The amused crowd woof-whistled and howled, either because they thought DaNaJ's 'bear' coat and signature beard were extremely wild, or because, like me, they were impressed by the band's acting abilities and originality.

After performing two songs with the rapper, including a version of Talking Heads' Burning Down The House, the band closed their final show with their newest song, the backpacker's anthem, Why Don't We Do Something. The keyboard and drum solos had the crowd (and the band) rocking out full force and by the end of the set, the entire room was moving, fingers pointed in the air and general first pumping, with some advanced dancers strategically flinging around high kicks and twirls. Shout outs of “well played!” and “that was awesome!” were made as the band parted, leaving behind a room of satisfied party people.