As I was leaving the Tuning Fork after this gig, I overheard a fellow punter ponder to a friend: "I can't decide whether I've just watched the best pub band I've ever seen, or the sleaziest cabaret I've ever seen". I think I can understand where he was coming from. Kid Congo And The Pink Monkey Birds are hard to categorise. The best I can manage is psychedelic swamp surf garage rock. Anyone familiar with Kid Congo Powers' work with The Cramps or The Gun Club will recognise his psychobilly roots showing through, but with his current band Mr Powers is definitely paddling his own creek.
In one way, the PMBs are all about atmosphere, with layers of turgidly hypnotic beats and buzzing, twangy guitars almost making you reach for the mozzie spray. But that wouldn't be enough for me, because when it comes to music I live for hooks, and hooks there were. Most of the band's numbers are a sort of mutant pop and the melodies and refrains somehow stayed afloat over the viscous noise, keeping me engaged. The Kid's voice is hardly a pop instrument though, and he rasped and growled his way through the set in a way that suggested something between playful mischief and menace. He's like the weird uncle that noone can remember inviting to the wedding but who somehow was the coolest person there. He leeringly segued between songs with a string of entertainly preposterous anecdotes which I guess is what made the aforementioned puzzled punter wonder if he was at some sort of sleazy cabaret.
This was the first time I'd been to The Tuning Fork (or The Great South Pacific Tuning Fork to give it its full pedigree name). I have a kind of hate/hate relationship with the Vector Arena which posesses a sound system capable of regularly destroying excellent bands. The Tuning Fork, however, despite being an annex of the arena, successully manages to create the ambience of an intimate rock and roll club, with great acoustics and a thoroughly decent noise. The place is long and narrow, but arranged to allow dancing or sitting while you take in the band, with adequate views despite a pretty good crowd. Whoever is booking acts also knows what they're doing. The PMBs were balanced beautifully by the enjoyable garage grind of local support act Thee Rum Coves, and the DJs (House Of Bamboo) were completely apt in their choices, combining some obvious selections with retro gems that had my table companion exitedly reaching for SoundHound to identify them. I'll definitely be putting the venue on my watchlist, although if you're making a night of it, I'd recommend eating first unless pizza and wedges are your thing.
I loved this gig, although maybe not quite as much as another person I bumped into on the dancefloor, who assured me: "this is everything I need from music".
Jay.
