On Thursday, to a packed back room at their unofficial home away from home, The Excelsior Hotel at Surry Hills, Sydney's Walrus farewelled the world. Thankfully, the band didn't overshadow the event with any retrospective teary self-congratulatory bullshit. They instead let the music speak for itself, and as they traveled through their back catalogue, sounding as good as I ever heard them, it became precisely clear exactly how much they would be missed.
They got the radio loved single, War, out of the way early on, clearing any preconceived ideas that they would milk the occasion to do some last minute promotion. The Nirvana-esque, Corn Coloured Vomit, was another clear standout moment, as was the aggressive blues number Armageddon With You. That said, the set was without a dull moment. Every song they played got a great response from the crowd who were nodding their heads to the familiar songs for the entire duration of the forty-five minute set.
The band touched on some of their earlier light-punk material, but focused mostly on the bluesy-inspired rock sound that they had mastered over recent years. It was sad that with every memorable song that they played, a whole boatload of positive memories of seeing the band came flooding back. It's not until they finished each number that you realised that it was going to be last time that you would ever see it performed.
Frontman, Roland Smith, between songs, made reference to that fact that Triple J had immediately stopped playing their music after hearing that they had broken up but FBI was continuing to keep them in rotation. This brought the usual anti-establishment cheer from the large crowd. Obviously, for all the success that the band (kinda) received via heavy radio play from Triple J, there was very little loyalty towards the notoriously fickle radio station. It was a sad thing to hear, drumming home the sad fact that local bands continually fall by the wayside with the lack of support from the somewhat powerful music media outlets.
For all of the sadness, however, there was a definite positive feeling throughout the show. As the band finished their set and man-hugged to the final feedback driven notes and drum pounds it was clear that everybody in the room, band and audience alike, were more than pleased with the parting gift.
Farewell Walrus. There is very little doubt that you will be missed.
But behind every rainy cloud there is a bright sunny day, with news coming to our attention that frontman, Roland K Smith, is already embarking on a new solo project. The sound is little bit like introspective Dylan mixed with the alt-country stylings of Ryan Adams and co. He is a fantastic songwriter and this new work really highlights this.
Word is that his debut release is currently getting pressed, so keep an eye out for it when it becomes available around the place over the next few weeks. He will be playing (with full band, including ex-Walrus drummer Mark Taylor) at Bar Me at Kings Cross (154 Brougham St) alongside Johanna Kemp next Wednesday, May 2nd.
Polaroids of Androids
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