If the story of how the band Gomez got their name is true, then I love it. Allegedly at their first performance they left a sign out for their friend Gomez so he could find them and the punters thought that it must have been the actual name of the band and it just stuck.
That was a long time ago, now in Melbourne to promote the 20th anniversary of their sophomore album “Liquid Skin”, it was fair to say everyone there new all too well who the band were and what they were called. For me this album had really struck a chord, you might say it felt like it embedded itself in my DNA, it had been one that I had fallen in love with and had had it on high repeat for a number of years. And when I was new to Melbourne and saw they were touring it specifically I jumped at the chance to see it played in its entirety, cover to cover like I had listened to it so many times.
That was a long time ago, now in Melbourne to promote the 20th anniversary of their sophomore album “Liquid Skin”, it was fair to say everyone there new all too well who the band were and what they were called. For me this album had really struck a chord, you might say it felt like it embedded itself in my DNA, it had been one that I had fallen in love with and had had it on high repeat for a number of years. And when I was new to Melbourne and saw they were touring it specifically I jumped at the chance to see it played in its entirety, cover to cover like I had listened to it so many times.
The doors to the Gershwin Room would open at 9pm, for the support act! Oh hello Australia, how I have not missed this part of the concert going experience. John Smith, the said support act, was charming enough and the crowd engaged with him as much as he probably could have hoped for and his stories and banter were really good. Later John would take the stage with Gomez as I dare say he has done a number of times before.
Around 10pm GOMEZ took the stage and it was in that instance that I realised that I hadn’t remembered what they looked like. That was a strange thing as whilst I knew their music intimately it was like I hadn’t committed how they looked to memory as one would normally. I read into this that back in the day I must have been so focused on the music more than anything else and to be honest I am not really sure why I had no specific memory of them. Now that being said as they took the stage I did remember them and the last time I had seen them was in Amsterdam and many memories of an awesome performance came flooding back as soon as they started playing the opening track “Hangover”.
One of the many things that I had forgotten was that three of the members were all really good singers and all very different and clearly complemented the overall sound of the album.
As Gomez played their songs they felt like an old familiar friend and it was a sound which made me feel right at home. This sound made me wonder how many times I have felt this connection with a band, not too many I am sure. It was fantastic to see the crowd enjoying the every minute of the show, in fact it appeared that everyone was singing along with such gusto that the roof of the Gershwin Room nearly lifted off. I overheard a roady say that the band usually played much bigger venues, I couldn’t help but hope that the band would have loved the interaction that they were getting from all the punters.
As the band rounded out the album with “Devil May Ride” I was extremely happy as was the room full of slightly older punters. The Album had come and gone, and we could now all die happy, actually for the first time I thought to myself that the band could leave the stage and not return for an encore and I would be still very happy. That all being said the 5 song encore really hit the mark of fun rock n roll and the crowd participation for “Get myself Arrested” was AWESOME.
As the ugly lights came on I was able to see all the punters with beaming smiles from what they had just witnessed and there was no doubt they will be back there again for the 30th Anniversary tour. As I walked out I chuckled to myself that I expect there was going to be an odd “Hangover” for many of the punters the following day, but I am guessing it wouldn’t be nearly as fun as the one everyone had witnessed 1 ½ hours earlier.
JV
Photos c/o @hotelesplanadestkilda
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