Review: Bluejuice, the Aston Shuffle @ Coolangatta Hotel
A dance remix of Brisbane immortals The Go-Betweens’ ‘Streets of Your Town’ may look cringe worthy on paper, but fortunately The Aston Shuffle make it work and the modestly sized crowd here to see Bluejuice are appreciating every second. You can see exactly why Bluejuice brought this accredited indie-dance duo on their Sizzling 2012 tour. The DJ duet have the crafty ability to turn tracks on their head by melting originals with edgy and euphoric beats while producing a total house party sensation – something the headliners hoped to achieve from the outset. As the set rolls on, the dance floor heats up with punters being roped in with the pulsating trumps of ‘Start Again’ and ‘Won’t Get Lost’. The boys from the nations capital, evident from their sweat-drenched tees, have worked hard to set the right temperament for this Sunday night festivity.
A Bluejuice gig consistently brings forth two feelings: expectation and apprehension. For a band that has toured relentlessly since their debut LP Problems, including numerous sightings on the festival round, audiences have a preconceived idea of what to expect. They know they are walking into a guaranteed riot of fun, where moshing is a guaranteed, alongside rubbing against often shirtless, yet sweaty front men. However a level of apprehension sneaks its way into the occasion. Apprehension in the sense of what costumes they will conjure up, how far they will invade the crowd physically and how many millilitres of spit the front row will be saturated in. Being witness to plenty of the previously noted characteristics of a Bluejuice concert, this reviewer has to wonder – “Can they raise their bar any higher?”
Fortunately tonight the answer is – absolutely. With their third album Company tucked sweetly under their arm, the Australian hip-hop/pop/indie hybrid demonstrate a sense of musical maturity and yet have maintained their childish behaviours and customs, much to the pleasure of the audience. This becomes a perfect blend for a band that is out to prove that they still have the ability to produce catchy radio anthems, while at the same time balance a conscious decision to expand their music in different and permissible directions. The band as a whole sound tight as ever as they stand in front of a backdrop worthy of being purchased from your local Crazy Clark’s. Under UV lights, the Sydneysiders deck themselves out in fluoro sticky tape, fashioning shapes and symbols with all colours of the spectrum over their bodies as they stand in front of a decent production of their band name in the same respect behind them. Although it may be a giant leap backward from U2’s 360 Tour, it sure scored points with the crowd, as they stood amused by the discounted spectacle in front of them. Jake Stone comments on the cheap and effective setup as if someone said to them “Here’s some tape c*nt!” Magically it all comes together and they’re off with the profanities, leading his partner in crime Stavros Yiannoukas to banter about sex, hookers, and cocaine, as well as spraying the hecklers in the first few rows with water from his mouth. It’s full on – but what else would you expect from these boys?
Moving from the juvenile acts of affection, the set is awash with both old and new and both captivate the crowd equally. The freshest tracks such as ‘Can’t Keep Up’, ‘The Recession’ and the Hottest 100 guarantee ‘Act Yr Age’ are dance gems and the level of energy sewn into them gives them pure justice to the recording. However, if we are to talk about the band ripening musically, it is ‘On My Own’, a track co-written by The Presets Julian Hamilton that impresses me the most. The song-writing is developed and mature, something the band were adamant about achieving with their latest offering. It could be their most serious tune to date – a true testament to where they first began. Nevertheless, it’s not long until we are immersed in the sing-a-long chants of ‘(Ain’t) Telling The Truth’, ‘We Get Around’, ‘Medication’, and ‘Phantom Boogie’ and soon enough we are near the end of the set. Before the neighbours call the police and complain about the noise, the party has two more songs to crank up, ‘Vitriol’ and ‘Broken Leg’ which, as expected, rupture the audience into one last hurrah and dance. With tracks like these, it’s no wonder why Bluejuice linger on. As long as they can continue to spice, surprise and inspire, there is no denying Australian audiences will continue seeing and supporting this killer live band.
About Me
