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Waiting For Guinness Higher Ground Until Sun 5 March On the opening night of Higher Ground, tucked between the Exeter and Palace Cinema in the former Imax Theatre, punters wandered into the theatre wondering who was taking the tickets. But in the pre show murmurs amongst the healthy audience, hand claps started up to bring Waiting For Guinness to the stage, the first of many moments the audience clapped or stomped along. In the absurd/comic banter between tracks was a wicked vaudevillian humour and subversion, evident throughout the set, in particular in the marvellous Bubble, with slipping rhymes and mere suggestion something is rotten in the cradle of power. If you are a fan of The Cat Empire or Calexico, Waiting For Guiness are a must see this Fringe. They step back further towards the roots of the latin/mariachi styles that both bands uniquely draw from, but the six piece bring an unhinged gypsy energy to their original compositions which sound like they come from much further away than Sydney. The songs are infused with an ocker mischief and an empathy with the plight off the troubadour, neatly put in the chorus "We're not beggars/unless you don't like our music". The continental flavour of the accordian is matched with a range of singing styles from pommy punk to party espaniola and convict strine. The huge acoustic mariachi bass provides a warm and organic base to the rowdy party on stage, the horns ramp the whole thing up even further. For an encore, Waiting For Guinness led the audience outside into the bar in one final, rousing song; everyone left with a smile.  |
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