Live Review: The Gooch Palms, All The Weathers, Mess O Reds, Work Ethic

Novocastrian garage-pop sweethearts The Gooch Palms kicked off their national tour this week with a highly anticipated show at Hobart’s Brisbane Hotel. Renowned for their amped-up, glittered-out live shows, the celebrations were tinged with extra fire this time around, the current tour marking the last of their Australian dates before they embark on a trip to the shining lights of Los Angeles.

The farewell party was filled out generously by the addition of three local supports – Work Ethic, Mess O Reds and All the Weathers. As is often the case in Hobart, support for these bands was strong, and All The Weathers arguably pulled the most tightly-knit, flailing crowd of the night. The four members swapped instruments constantly; taking the mic for a regular spin was the always impressive Georgia Lucy, whose disjointed yelps and howls tended to make her eyes roll, an energetic dash of punk enthusiasm behind every turn.

Towards the end of their set the group’s signature alto saxophone made its appearance from behind the drumkit to the delight of the audience, wailing out a solo of trills that crackled and melted like butter over the dark haze. Final track, Summer In Tasmania, was a tongue-in-cheek poke at the island’s erratic weather patterns, and greeted cheerfully thanks to the warm and slightly sticky evening outside.

The Gooch Palms took gallantly to the stage in matching self-branded crop tops, DIY kits of which Macqueen promised would be available on their return. The atmosphere, beginning humbly, quickly built to a healthy thrash of necks and forelimbs as the Palms belted out a brief but powerful comet of a set. Latest single, Trackside Daze made an early appearance, a hyperactive pop snazzle that fizzes on the tongue in a chorus of ooohs and ahhhs. Hunter Street Mall was an ode to the suburban jewels of Newcastle, a spirited rendition of We Get By providing the highlight of the night.

The best thing about the Palms is their zealous stage presence, and there was plenty to go around. Macqueen strutted back and forth on stage as though starring in his own burlesque, all waves and eyelash-flutters, slipping out of his underwear and replacing them with drool by the show’s close. The crowd roared for an encore and it was gladly given in the form of Cheap Trick’s Dream Police, which had audience members gladly removing their own clothes and working up a sweat. Altogether an impressive sonic spectacle from The Gooch Palms as they make their final sparkling voyage around the coast – for now.