Live Review: Fred & Toody Cole, Palm Springs

Erica Dunn plays without her band Palm Springs tonight but is obviously delighted to be sharing the stage with her idols. Opting to mellow her way through each song, Dunn gives a little insight into the stories behind her "sad songs", which cover a broad range of subjects including the end of humanity and losing grandad's farm. She also says she feels like an idiot having to tune her guitar in front of The Coles.

It is a somewhat sobering sight to see Fred & Toody Cole on stage without drummer Andrew Loomis since previous Dead Moon shows at The Tote have become legendary. The Portland rockers alternate between singing solo and in duet mode. Their unmistakable voices are not lost through this bandroom, catching every ear as punters crane their necks to see. The Coles are every rock dog's dream future and most men in the crowd would probably ache to have a wife as cool as Toody; her frizzy mane of hair quivers when she laughs, joking about Pabst Blue Ribbon lager being an import here as compared to its crappy status back in Portland. Fred is a solid figure sitting next to his wife, picking and scratching humbly through each song with simply classic lead breaks that coax cheers from onlookers.

The show is no frills, aside from a few extra stage lights, and it's as if they just walked on and plugged in. The instrumentation is as sketchy as it's always been, but genuine in its intention nonetheless. Fred & Toody are not here to impress anyone with flashy guitar moves, their legacy is impressive enough and we're just here to take in the songs. The bandroom is a hot sweaty mess by now and Dead Moon Night closes the main set. This famed track has everyone screaming back the acrostic-style lyrics.

They return for an encore after the crowd screams for more and nobody wants the show to finish. Fred & Toody Cole deserve every bit of love that pours out from the crowd and this set will be embedded in the memories of all present. Dead Moon are unequivocally important to rock'n'roll and tonight is a testament to the mark this band have left all around the world.