Live Review: Regurgitator, Senyawa

Regurgitator have always been an ambitious band, from recording in a plastic bubble at Federation Square to performing a live soundtrack for a Japanese anime film at the Opera House to creating a sonic union of punk, metal, hip hop and electronica. It's no surprise then that the support for their Retrotech tour is anything but conventional.
Indonesian duo Senyawa opens events. Wukir Suryadi plays a bambu wukir, an instrument created by (and named after) the man himself, carved from bamboo and featuring steel strings and electric guitar pickups. Processed through a series of pedals, it sounds like a percussive cello meets electric guitar, shrieking with constant feedback and white noise. For all its ingenuity, it's all too abrasive and, for the most part, unlistenable. In what appears improvised chaos, vocalist Rully Shabara shrieks over the top in Indonesian. Described as performance art, it's certainly easier to watch than to listen to.

Regurgitator finally hit the stage dressed in double-denim attire and joined by keyboardist Seja Vogel. First on the agenda, they perform their 1996 record Tu Plang, an experimental journey through multiple genres, which was validated by touring slots with The Melvins and Helmet at the time of its release. As per the tracklisting, they begin with I Sucked A Lot Of Cock To Get Where I Am and immediately follow it with Kong Foo Sing. The crowd are in raptures, for most it's a nostalgic transportation back into their teens. For the next ten songs the crowd are less animated, scratching their heads at the haphazardness of the record and waiting with anticipation for radio hit Blubber Boy. Once delivered, anticipation soon shifts to their next set, playing the ARIA-certified Best Album of 1998: Unit.

After a short intermission and costume change, which sees them don silver lycra onesies, they return and play the four consecutive singles that open the album: I Like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff, Everyday Formula, The Song Formerly Known As and Black Bugs. It's the highlight of the night and confirms the band's position and indeed longevity on the Australian music scene. Judging from the high energy, wall-to-wall sing-alongs and grins throughout Hi-Fi, the set could end now and the capacity crowd would leave happy, but, alas, the album is being performed in its entirety. The album, sans Polyester Girl, veers toward a downward trajectory. Tonight we're not afforded the luxury of a repeat button or, perhaps more importantly, a skip function.