A band that looks like they’re having a great time on stage always helps an eager crowd have a great time off it. That is why the Basement was full to, and probably past, capacity and, unlike most nights of it’s ilk, everyone stayed to the very end.

A Funk Affair produced an all Australian line of up consisting of 2 excellent Sydney bands, a band all the way from Western Australia, a DJ and one of Australia’s finest lady MC’s.

Salamander, from WA, are Jazz/Funk/Hip-Hop 7 piece whose clever, if uninspired, sound was augmented by a sequencer/drum-machine. Unfortuntely for Salamander, although are clearly excellent musicians, a lot of their songs ended sounding like musak. They had clearly missed the point of horns in a funk band, listen to any of the classics and you realise that horns are for accent, not for slow melodies which make it sound a little to porn funk elevator music. They had 3 singers for during the show; a girl with a great voice who was under utilised as a story telling medium, again opting for slow melodies, their leader, who spoke well but has poor microphone technique when he raps Aussie Hip-Hop style and the bass player who pulled out one tune while playing a massive double bass, fantastic stuff. In all, Salamander sounded like a group of friends from the Conservatorium of Music, good technique, no soul, no stage presence. no spark.

Local boys Johnson were out to prove two things; white boys can funk and the you don’t necessarily need double figures on stage to bring the funk, although it does help. After a month long residency and the Lansdown, to hone their skills, this group of 4 white boys in Jehova’s Witness outfits, were ready, and keen, to put on a show. It seems as they had convinced not only good friends and family to attend, but everyone they new, up to second cousins and former roommates. Their overly welcoming crowd was not disappointed. Johnson made excellent use of all four microphones, with rousing sign-a-long choruses, clever call and answer and lead singing duties being split between two of the band. Johnson very very tight, each member knowing when it was their turn to take the weight, sometimes whoever they were to tight, lacking perhaps the improvised epic nature that great funk songs can take on. With a little help from a ring-in horn section, they started and ended well with rousing, engaging, very Australian, funk tunes.

The headliners, Kid Confucious, have been around the Sydney pub scene for a while now, their style is migrating away from straight Hip-Hop towards a big-band funk show (there were 10 people on the tiny Basement stage for most of their show). They play a tight, high energy, melodic fusion of Hip-Hop, funk and occasionally (dare i say it) easy-listening. Even with a massive band they’re songs are sometimes overladen with sounds, it seems everyone wants to be a part of every song which can lead to a muddy version of the original idea.

Linked to this busy sound is an annoying habit of over indulgence, in the same way that going to see the John Bulter Trio play can be frustrating when they turn every song, many which sound great at the 4 minute mark, in a 10 minute epic. Guys, please, we can see that you are all talented, we really like the songs you are playing but if you want to do an epic version of a song it’s got to be the exception, not the rule.
Having said all that, Kid Confucious are fantastically enjoyable live band, especially when MC Trey joined them late on for a few tracks. Sometimes they really get the formula right and the result had the, full to brim, Basement bursting at the seems.

Lastly, and only for a only a few tracks, was the mercurial MC Trey with the help of Kick Toth on turntables. MC trey is excellent, versatile , clever, succinct … really a national treasure and she is playing, I think with a full band, this Saturday night at the Roxbury in Glebe.

I have a theory for possible subjects for funk songs, all the ones that work fall into four categories; songs about drugs or sound like the singer is on drugs, songs about sex and love, political songs and songs that just try to make you laugh. Johnson went completely for the latter, except for a few funny songs about sex, Kid Confucious got political and occasionally over-indulgent and I just couldn’t understand a word anyone in Salamander said.