29 July 2023 – Felons Barrel Hall, Brisbane – words by Bec Harbour – pictures by Bec Lee & Bec Harbour
It was a cryptic gig title when announced, even for Regurgitator but all became clear soon enough. Their manager Paul Curtis has had 60 trips around the sun and it was time celebrate. And celebrate we did even though Paul tried to brush off the accolades and massive contributions that he has made to the Brisbane and indeed the Australian music scene by fostering and promoting local talent like Regurgitator and Custard.
The line-up was fantastic, not only Regurgitator and Custard but The Fauves, The Stress of Leisure and Ben Ely’s Mungo Fungo Band and a long time wanting to see band for me – Front End Loader.
Felons is great venue – river views, Story Bridge views, nice grassy areas and on the fringe of the Brisbane CBD. Parking is at a premium though so you are better off catching public transport and making your way there. After some confusion with which door to use (joined by The Stress of Leisure drummer Jessica Moore and security who didn’t seem to be able to tell us anything) we entered the Barrel Hall just in time for Ben Ely’s Mungo Fungo Band.
Ben Ely’s Mungo Fungo Band – Felons – photos by Bec Harbour
Ben Ely’s Mungo Fungo Band is a good fun side project and they kept the early punters entertained (especially this one guy who was whooping and must have started his party early) with some psych-infused grooves and really jamming out.
Up next were The Stress of Leisure (yep Jessica managed to get backstage in time despite the door confusion). If you have not caught The Stress of Leisure, you really should – there are elements of Talking Heads cool, Monty Python silliness and some great social observations in their lyrics. Those that know them were ready to roar along to the lyrics to crowd favourite ‘Pulled Pork’.
The Stress of Leisure – Felons – photos by Bec Lee
I have been hassling Paul about getting Front End Loader to Brisbane – I never got to see them in the 90’s as I was exiled in Darwin. I can now tick them off my list and they looked like they were having a great time on stage. They had also pre-recorded their crowd ‘interactions’ and it was as confusing as hell for a minute until I worked out what was going on. And they played ‘Pulse’ – Last of the V8 Interceptors was on high rotation in share houses I lived in and it was great to hear that live.
Front End Loader – Felons – photos by Bec Harbour
And then it was time for The Fauves (who did not pre-record their crowd interactions) and they chatted with punters who called out – of course they played ‘Self-Abuser’ and ‘Dogs Are the Best People’!
The Fauves – Felons – photos by Bec Lee
I wonder how old it might be getting when people yell out at Custard gigs “Bluey’s Dad!” for Dave McCormack? Oh well, Custard are pretty unfazed (even when Dave almost loses his guitar to strap failure) and rip through a great set that includes ‘Girls Like That’ and the mic swap with drummer Glenn Thompson for ‘Music is Crap’ and a few covers – ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ and ‘Express Yourself’.
Custard – Felons – photos by Bec Lee
We are now ready for Regurgitator – they come out in the yellow tracksuits that would have been getting a workout for the UNITS 25 anniversary tour. Dedicating their opener ‘I Sucked a Lot of Cock to Get Where I Am’ to Paul, the Barrel Hall resonated with several hundred people singing along. You all know the album Unit, you know that they played ‘! (The Song Formerly Known As)’, ‘Polyester Girl’ and ‘Black Bugs’ with bunny keytarist, Shane Rudken making an appearance once the silver spandex was broken out.
Regurgitator – Felons – photos by Bec Harbour
I can imagine that Regurgitator might be sick of playing Unit after spending much of the front half of the year playing it (Quan did say that it was potentially the last time they’d play it). They wrapped up their set with ‘Kong Foo Sing’ from Tu Plang, then took the time to let the crowd know that they were here to celebrate Paul Curtis (who in his usual deprecating way told the crowd it was them being celebrated). They then ripped through a cover of ‘Damaged Goods’ by Gang of Four with Paul on vocals (not so cryptic now when you add the pieces together).
Regurgitator – Felons – photos by Bec Lee
60 Years of Damaged Goods was a wonderful celebration of music, art (the art on the screens behind the bands for the majority was all of Paul Curtis’s work – posters, flyers and band artwork) and togetherness – to quote Paul – “…a night of basking in a state of warm inclusivity…”
Editors Note: The Live Wire was given amazing opportunities by Paul Curtis when we were a little publication just starting out and we want to thank Paul for those opportunities that helped us grow and become the independent publication that we are today – happy birthday Paul!
