Live - The B-52s, Enmore Theatre

Reviews, By Christian Taylor, 26th November, 2009

In today’s fickle pop world, few have weathered the storm quite like The B-52s. Their lifespan can be attributed to many things: their quirks and contradictions; their authenticity; the pure, seductive joy that lies within their music. Of course, once you see them live you realise they are so much bigger than the sum of their parts.

Named after their once towering hair-dos, The B-52s have had breakthrough hits in every decade since they began: Rock Lobster in the late 70s, Own Private Idaho and Love Shack in the 80s, Roam and Good Stuff in the 90s and in this century with their new album Funplex. This puts them in a unique position – their music is a thread running right through generations.

Last night’s show at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre was glorious. They burst onto the stage with Pump, from the new album: Fred Schneider in striped jeans; Kate Pierson in flowing aqua; Cindy Wilson with kilos of platinum blonde hair, chunky white sunglasses and a black and red rubber dress; and guitarist Keith Strickland in basic black. Behind them strutted the coolest bass guitarist I’ve ever clapped eyes on, she looked truly smooth with her gold spandex mini skirt, chunky heels and afro.

The band kept the energy up as they moved through the set list – Mesopotamia, Ultraviolet and Own Private Idaho, which set the crowd on fire. All these years later and the band has managed to hang onto their unique sound, while still remaining firmly on the edge: Fred still has the right amount of unhinged craziness lurking beneath his semi-spoken-word stylings, Kate’s voice was in fine form and blended beautifully with Cindy’s.

At times The B-52s occupied a very other-worldly, futuristic, almost alien space, and there was something truly magical about that. With spiraling lights as a backdrop, I felt swept away on a UFO, transformed back in time to a world where things were simpler, and there was more hope for us mere mortals. I didn’t want to come home!

Love Shack was a showstopper. They stood united, belting out this universal anthem for freedom with boundless joy and not an ounce of apology. Funplex was another highlight, a love song of sorts, set in suburban shopping mall, examining the banality of commercialisation and consumption. During Love Shack a barefoot Cindy owned the stage with her famous “tin roof rusted” and in Funplex she ruled again, slipping in “I’m your daytime waitress, here’s your fucking 7Up.” Gold.

The B-52s had the audience captivated from start to finish, and they didn’t rely on lavish production values, or smoke and mirrors. The set up was strikingly simple – a few lights, the band, the costumes – leaving plenty of room for them to truly shine.

And shine they did! Rock Lobster was the finale and it brought the house down. They left the stage with smiles on their faces, and the audience screaming for more – just as it should be. It’s not hard to see why this band is still selling out shows thirty years after first taking to the stage.

The B-52s are touring Australia. Remaining dates are as follows:
November
Sat 28 – A Day On The Green, Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley VIC
Sun 29 – A Day On The Green, Centennial Vineyards, Bowral NSW

December
Wed 2 – Costa Hall, Geelong VIC
Thurs 3 – The Forum, Melbourne
Sat 5 – A Day On The Green, Peter Lehmann Wines, Barossa Valley, SA
Sun 6 – A Day On The Green, Sandalford Wines, Swan Valley WA.