Live Review: Peter Combe, Ramona Come Closer, Filithy White Inbreds, Parks

There are seldom Australian acts that are able to boast an impressive and successful career spanning close to four decades, let alone in children’s music; Peter Combe is one of very few exceptions. Enigma Bar’s regular Friday night party, Black Market played host to this absolute Australian icon as he delivered classic nostalgia to the punters’ inner child. It was an almighty School Fair theme: the drinks were cheap, the free fairy bread in large supply, there was an abundance of modified school uniforms and a “shitty raffle” drawn at midnight. Heavy quartet Parks opened the evening to a small crowd yet remained appreciative of the opportunity to play their first show. The locals worked through an interesting mix of both originals and covers from the likes of A Day To Remember and Stick To Your Guns. Despite presenting a live show in need of some refinement, this act has decent potential. The night took a more comical turn once acoustic duo Filthy White Inbreds took to the stage. The name of the game was fun for these lads and the ever-increasing crowd reciprocated this energy. Covering classic number ones from the ‘90s, which culminated in a hilarious rendition of the Spice Girl’s Wannabe, it was refreshing to witness a performance based purely on fun and laughter.

The most impressive supporting set of the night came in the form of punk rockers, Ramona Come Closer. Equipped with matching netball outfits and classic Pat Benatar-style vocals from lead frontwoman Tash Buccella, this quartet pumped out tunes reminiscent of punk bands like The Distillers with fierce attitude and easily won the admiration of the crowd. This sufficiently warmed the audience as they highly anticipated the main event: Peter Combe. This Australian legend was nothing short of awesome with his electric four-piece backing band. However, interestingly, the first few tracks were newer, therefore more unknown, proving a risk for Combe; crowd involvement was subsequently low and requests for the classics were thrown from left, right and centre. Midway through his energetic set, the desired happened: “Wash your face with orange juice.” The crowd had been sent into a spin with the classic, Mr Clicketty Cane, a mosh pit not being something either Combe or quieter audience members were expecting, yet the sheer nostalgia overcame some parts of the audience and the venue erupted. Combe finished strong with other classics Newspaper Mama and Juicy Juicy Green Grass among them, and came back for an encore with Toffee Apple, a brilliant way to end a great night for anyone’s inner child.