OK. It’s Friday night and I’m off to a bar I’ve never been to before to see a band whose name I can’t pronounce to hear music which, from what I’ve read, is almost impossible to categorize! I love this job!

A quick search on ourbrisbane.com reveals that the Columbian Bar is downstairs from the Valley Backpackers in Constance Street, Fortitude Valley. So far, so good, at least I know where I am going! I downloaded last weeks’ free ITM download track Heart of Hearts by the only other artist ever having been known as a symbol. I have a listen to get a feel for what I’m in for and I like it, I like it a lot. It’s kind of post-grunge electro punk heavy on the guitar with eighties synth influences and Robert Palmer style bass lines. I rushed out to pick up a copy of their new where the wild things are-like gorgeously art-worked album Myth Takes and had a listen. Not since grunge got a ponsy new black hairdo and called itself emo have I heard something this original. I knew it was going to be a good night.

By 9pm there is a line-up outside the venue the length of the street; some have tickets, others are hoping to buy them at the door. Within half an hour the gig is sold out and many dissapointed faces are turned away. The Columbian has hit capacity crowd and the temperature rapidly begins to rise considerably on this already hot and humid March night. I order myself a drink and find a spot on a comfy couch by the window as the warm-up DJ spins some funky electro clash tracks down the back on the dance floor.

The first band up on stage is The Cops, Aussie rockers who have drawn as much of a crowd as the headliners. Their loyal fans dance and sing along to a blistering set of polished indie madness including their JJJ Hottest 100 number 33 track Call Me Anytime.
As soon as the set was over there was a mass exodus from the venue as the cooler air outside in the street beckoned. Outside, while taking the opportunity to cool down, I spoke to people about how they had heard of !!! (pronounced Chk Chk Chk). A couple of American Girls who were studying here had been told by their friend in an email from the U.S. that !!! were playing in Brisbane and that they should come check them out. The most frequent word used to dsescribe the band was “crazy”. Most had heard about the band through their myspace which goes to show just how effective this new form of publicity really is.

When all eight members of !!! came onto the stage at around 11pm ( I had read that there were nine, maybe the other one is the DJ?) I wonder how they will all fit on the rather condensed available stage space. Already up there are two drum kits, several guitars, keyboards, cowbells, tambourines and a saxophone, I guess this is what you’d call an ‘intimate’ venue! But fit they do, and rock hard they do too! Their energy and enthusiasm are overwhelming as they belt out the numbers opening with the title track from their new album Myth Takes, followed by the highly memorable All My Heroes Are Wierdos.

“This is our first time in Brisbane!” they shout at the start of the set, with a level of enthusiasm that sadly suffered under the oppressively sauna-like temperatures inside the venue until it was obvious the band were becoming truly uncomfortable.
“Man it’s hot as shit up here! You guys are all crazy! How can you cance in this?” the lead singer says at one point.

Surprisingly for a band so large, the performance is very tight. Crazy, yes, but very well played, and well held-together despite the cramped and sweaty conditions with several musical change-overs between the different members of the band during the course of the set. Vocals were shared by John Pugh and Nic Offer, both of whom were brimming with talent and enthusiasm, and did I mention sweat? All members of the band played various instruments at different times, showcasing the diversity of !!! talents and skills and creating an almost orchestral quality to their sound. Eight sweaty T-shirts were soon discarded after the saturation level proved too much to bear and the towels were brought out, along with requests by the band to turn off the smoke machine and turn down the lights in an attempt to cool things down, but the band gallantly played on. Mixing up a few of their earlier tracks along with the new they played A New Name and A Sweet Life and the crowd were loving every minute and dancing non-stop. Think Violent Femmes doing dance music on mescalin with a churning “chika, chika umph” toe-tapping beat that causes bodies to move despite themselves. When a hot blonde chick down the front requested Heart of Hearts she was duly obliged and her and her friend were granted a podium on the stage to dance (not to mention a back stage pass after the show!)

Afterwards, I was aked what I thought of the show and all I could think of was “hot”! But now, with a day of rest behind me, I can add that this band is definitely going to go far. With an ability to connect with a fan base so broad and interesting, an obviously genuine passion for what they do, and the musical skill and innovation to create the kind of sound that many have tried to classify but few have pinpointed, the future for !!! looks very rosy indeed. The venue could have been twice the size and they would have filled it. I’m picking these guys for next years Big day Out line up already…