The Dresden Dolls, The Red Paintings, Jason Webley
Adelaide Uni Bar
Wed 20 September

I saw enough of Seattle based gypsy-punk troubadour Jason Webley, who covered Outkast's Hey Ya!, to note influences like Tom Waits and The Pogues among others, but not having seen enough of his show I resolved to seeing him and his accordion at the Grace Emily the next night.

I'd also heard great things about Brisbane's The Red Paintings, but having missed them on their previous trips to Adelaide, I wasn't prepared for the elaborateness of their set. Apparently the band's gear had been stolen that day. Even worse for them, this wasn't the first time it happened in Adelaide. Even in the absence of normal elements of their show, such as their regular onstage painting sessions, the band put on a visual and aural feast. I personally heard touches of A Perfect Circle and Placebo, but comparisons like that are simplistic - The Red Paintings really are a unique experience all of their own. Alas, it was all over before it really seemed to kick in. I wanted to hear more. Powerful rhythms, emotive vocals and expressive strings easily impressed the audience, by now at capacity. And they weren't even the main act.

The Dresden Dolls simply came and played the best show they could and were modest enough to share their stage with both support acts. The Red Painting's singer Trash McSweeny came back on to play a cover of Mad World in the encore, with Amanda Palmer on keys, followed by Webley and The Dresden Dolls doing a lyrical analysis of Jon Bon Jovi's Living On A Prayer. The conclusion? Hypocrisy.

Brian Viglione's drumming was the highlight of the night, particularly in the introduction to Half Jack and during their glorious rendition of the Sabbath classic, War Pigs. Also memorable was Palmer revealing that the last time she'd been to Adelaide was as a street performer at the 2000 Fringe. And even though a curfew prevented the band playing their cover of Carole King's Pierre, this was one of the most impressive gigs that I'd seen for a while.

Eddie Chan
Pic: Anne Clarke