Awesome start to the new year of live music, with a fantastic show from old favourites that cut through my Monday lethargy.
Though I was psyched to see The Breeders in concert once again, by the time Monday rolled in I was wishing the concert was on a different date. The night before I stayed up till late to watch the dramatic five-set Australian Open men’s final, and together with my recent bout of sickness it made for one energy-depleted zombie Monday. I did manage to sneak in a couple of hours of sleep in the evening, right before it was time to drink some Berocca and drag myself to the city.
Opening for the alt-rock legends was an Aussie all-girl trio Mod Con, who were actually pretty great! I rarely expect anything from a supporting act, but their spirited blend of noisy punk, 80s pop and surf rock really built up the energy and perked me up. They drew a good response from the crowd, who were a bit more mixed than I had expected; mostly middle-aged 90s kids but with many younger faces here and there.
I don’t really require a reason to see The Breeders so I got the ticket without having the slightest clue why they were coming to town, with no new album to support. Turns out their stop in Melbourne was a part of the Last Splash 30th anniversary tour. I haven’t always been enthusiastic about that album, but since their last visit I grew to love it as much as the rest of their best.
I was secretly happy that this wasn’t one of the play-album-in-order affairs that kinda kill the spontaneity. After kicking the night off with Saints, the band mixed it up with songs from their first two albums, Pod and Last Splash, as well as the more recent All Nerve. I loved it all but I was especially ecstatic to hear old songs off Pod that I never heard played live before. Even an early rarity like Safari made it into the setlist! Before playing their take on The Beatles’ Happiness Is A Warm Gun, Kim Deal cheekily apologised to all the Brits in the audience for the cultural appropriation.
Just like the last time, the band treated us to the Pixies classic Gigantic, and they once again had a surprise guest musician. This time, a local homegrown viola player came onstage to contribute strings to a handful of songs. Her playing on the folky Drivin’ On 9 was especially sweet and memorable.
The band were in blistering form and seemed to have a ball onstage; you could probably see Kim’s wide smile from the very back of the Forum. The unflappable and impossibly cool bassist Josephine Wiggs revealed herself to be a woman of culture with a story about her free time in Melbourne: visiting the National Gallery, checking out the Old Melbourne Gaol and strolling through a cemetery. Kim’s identical twin sister Kelley also chimed in, saying that she spent her day drinking coffee and watching trash TV. Oh well, we can’t all be Josephine.
Needless to say, I forgot all about my sleep deprivation and fatigue, and left the Forum all pumped and energised. Maybe that’s the cure for Monday blues, an amazing live gig.
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