It is a night as imbued in local folklore as the horseracing-related public holiday that justifies its existence. For nigh on a decade now (give or take a few years) You Am I have held their yearly rock and roll party (and, in the past few years, parties, given the evening's popularity) at St Kilda's suitably vaulted venue The Prince Of Wales.
Being my fifth (or roundabouts) such venture to one of these most spectacular of festivities, I was fairly assured that it was going to be a sterling night of good old-fashioned family- styled entertainment (well, somewhat). Known for their canny ability to pick support acts that are going to be the next big thing in the coming year, joining You Am I on this evening's line up are superlative (or so I have heard) up-and-comers Bowerbirds, Super Wild Horses and Johnny Casino.
Now, given the time of year and the calibre of the band headlining the evening, it's hard not to throw in at least one horseracing analogy – but I'll try and slip it in early and the resist the temptation to continue adding them as the review progresses; however, I can make no guarantees that I will be able to stop. Consider yourselves warned.
In the esteemed field of the Australian music industry, You Am I are the pedigree thoroughbreds; all sleek lines, muscular grandiosity and with the inbuilt talent to leave all newcomers trailing hopelessly in their formidable wake, however, doing a fucking corker of a job at coming in second this evening was the inimitable talent of Johnny Casino (and if you are wondering why I have yet to mention Bowerbirds and Super Wild Horses sets, I would like to take the opportunity now to thank Connex for making me late yet again, the motherfuckers).
Casino is a name I had been hearing around the traps lately (and not just in reference that dodgy temple of mammon that cashed-up bogans tend to mill around in the wee hours of Sunday morning coming off a night of smoking crack on King Street), and it seems within about six bars from his opening number that the late mail has been right on the money. Johnny Casino's blues-tinged and diamond-edged blend of chugg-along rock made me want to find the closest ribbed surface and grind my genitals on it in the most ladylike of ways (well, perhaps not quite ladylike) and I know I wasn't the only one feeling this most particular of ways. This contention was further proven by the appearance of the first obnoxiously dancing drunk man of the night. Whilst I wavered between wanting to ask him if he felt he didn't not get enough attention as a child and if the words 'sink more piss' were going to be on his tombstone, I do send snaps his way for his good taste.
Highlights of this barnstorming set for me were Everyone Says They Love Me and I Don't Know Why (I, so enamoured of it, wrote it down for future reference) and a track that reminded me favourably of Heart's Barracuda which I think was called What You Want Me To Be, I'm Not (I was so engrossed I didn't dare take my attention away in order to write it down), whatever it was it was an absolute fucking belter and an inspired choice as the penultimate track of this spirited set and proved without a shadow of a doubt that Johnny is the only Casino in town worth spending your money on.
It's midnight when the lights go out, the smoke machine cranks on and we await with baited breath the esteemed headline guests of the hour. Positioning myself within spitting distance from the lanky rock gods the anticipation in the air was palpable, like the minutes before a heavyweight title fight and like the sound of the starting bell hearts raced as the band grace stage with the conviction of a Melbourne Cup field trampling our senses with their boldness. The atmosphere immediately livens, every member of the crowd that can get tumescent does and it is clear that we are in for a party in the truest sense of the word.
In a first in my lengthy You Am I experience, the band kicked off the now morning's festivities with a cover - an inspired choice that sets the playfully intimate (in a sexy way) tone for the night - Regurgitator's ode to the fiscal advantages gained by fellatio, I Sucked A Lot Of Cock To Get Where I Am. A golden moment.
Playing the most diverse set list I have ever seen, You Am I pull out seminal favourites like How Much Is Enough and Cathy's Clown shared the spotlight with beloved album tracks such as Sound As Ever (which has one of the best riffs ever riffed on in my humble opinion), Junk, Forever & Easy and Gasoline For Two, while offerings from the band's two latest albums dotted the set list like shining jewels of awesome (better adjectives escape me currently, I am that speechless at the genius of this selection). Even more surprising was the inclusion of several covers including an absolutely revelatory rendition of Magic Dirt's Ice; a song I cranked the shit out of when it came out and am now inspired to crank the shit out of again thanks to the boys' favourable nod in its direction.
What more can be said about You Am I that hasn't been said before? With hearts as big as Phar Lap and with the distinction of having to do nothing more to assure their place in the Parthenon of Australian music ad infinitum they continually tear up each and every the stage they strut like a well trained Bart Cummings champion in the final furlong at Flemington; You Am I are a four-headed beast with no par, no equal and clearly no plans to hang up their saddles anytime soon.