Live Review: Vaudeville Smash, Sex On Toast

Sex on Toast is either a) a condiment, b) a dodgy carnal practice or c) one of Melbourne's greatest bands. Tonight, the answer is c. Nine men expelling a musical frenzy of fantastical compositions that are part James Brown, part Prince, part dodgy TV game shows and part pure genius. Lyrics like “Oh Loretta/Take off your sweater” are the cherry on top. They've just released their synth-tastic debut single, Takin' Over, which is shot through with a big Gloria Estefan bass line and Angus Leslie's massive voice oozing irony throughout. The artwork for the single references that great '80s movie, Cocktail, just so you know where they're coming from. They finish their set on the enormous, romp-tastic Potential Sexy. Half the band wear sunglasses onstage. Must be 'cause their future's so bright.

The sexy, dancing audience is beyond fluffed and primed for Vaudeville Smash, who are launching their debut album, Dancing For The Girl, tonight. Lead singer/saxophonist/flautist Marc Lucchesi is dashing in a white suit jacket, offset with an orange v-neck sweater, exactly the kind of outfit a man with a falsetto like his should be wearing. They kick off with Strangest Dream, which could easily pass for a Spandau Ballet track, and before Ghouls kicks in, it could be Eye Of The Tiger. Devil Said opens with an impressive flute solo from Marc and the addition of Sex on Toast's Bovril Harrison, who does a trumpet solo, is a nice touch.

Sex on Toast take so much piss there's none left for Vaudeville Smash, whose musical hearts are clearly truly, madly, deeply ensconced in '80s pop. On the sliding scale of 1980s irony to earnestness, Sex on Toast and Vaudeville Smash inhabit the polar opposite scales. When the two bands collide onstage, magic happens, so when Marc announces that “the greatest choir that ever walked the earth” (actually just Sex on Toast) is joining the band for a version of Sailor Moon,” it is beyond incredible. It all ends in a big group hug.

Drummer Dan Lucchesi is pretty much a genius. He produced the record and also contributes a hefty amount of vocals while drumming. He kicks off Dirty Old Man with an excellent, shouty drum solo. The track inexplicably doesn't appear on the album, and they do an awesome version of it tonight that erupts halfway into Daft Punk's Get Lucky. “Thanks to Daft Punk for making what we do cool!” grins Marc. James Bowers – talkbox and keyboard player extraordinaire – straddles both bands and his keys solo during Drunken Cowgirl elicits a room of jazz hands. They play Danny last, which showcases Nic Lamb's guitar playing that is so smooth you can slide off it. Vaudeville Smash leave the stage and Sex on Toast's Angus Leslie returns with a bizarre attempt to hype us for an encore – he reckons he's going to do some comedy but tells one terrible joke before Vaudeville Smash return and do Look At Me and the excellent Hey. Two of Melbourne's best bands onstage together like it's 1982. Nice.