It's a hot and humid evening at the Transcontinental Hotel tonight – the perfect climate to enjoy the swampy, blues-rock stylings of Melbourne-based outfit Bitter Sweet Kicks. An immediate explosion of thunderous bass lines, manic screams and roaring riffs attacks the senses; you have to take a step back to realise that each element contributes to the larger picture, which is actually quite fascinating. While each band member is captivating, it's difficult to take your eyes off the beautiful mess that is Jack Davies. He spends more time amongst the audience than on the stage, alternating between yelling into his mic, crouching into the foetal position, dancing, swaying and doing acrobatics. The shame here is that his mic cord is so short, which prevents punters from discovering the full spectrum of the mayhem he could create. When the time comes to return to the stage, instead of taking a simple step up, Davies – ever the showman – chooses to perform a backwards somersault, propelling his legs onto the stage while leaving the top half of his body dangling to the floor. In the midst of such antics the band keep the performance grounded, knocking out some stellar tunes along the way – notably I Am and King Of The Scrum, where the harmonica makes an appearance. By the end of it all Bitter Sweet Kicks leave many wondering how this performance can possibly be topped.
It's not long before The Ape respond to the challenge. They open proceedings with the first track on their self-titled debut, Man On A Mission, before a rowdy audience member asks frontman Tex Perkins what he's drinking out of his mysterious carry-mug. “My own urine,” Perkins responds without missing a beat, “it really perks me up!” It's this quick wit and dry sense of humour that we've come to love about Perkins and he is definitely in fine form tonight. They swing back into the set with Crawl Back, before a run through of tracks including Don't Need Nothing, Sno Fun, Can't Feel A Thing and the instrumental ditty Monkey In The Kitchen, which is completely hypnotic with its repetitive riffs. It's clear the guys are loving it; it just feels like four mates jamming together and the good vibes are undeniable. This is confirmed when the band hug each other after their encore, which breezes by all too quickly, leaving the insatiable audience still wanting more. They leave the stage finally with a bow, where instead of facing the audience they face the back of the stage, waving and blowing kisses to the drum kit. Any indication their album may have given as to what kind of band The Ape are has been exceeded in this live setting.
