Live Review: Pimps Of Sound, The Brow, Ensemble Formidable - The Oddfellow

When a venue says “dive bar” on its Facebook page all kinds of things run through your mind. The Oddfellow is anything but a dive bar; rather, it’s a small intimate venue with the accoutrements one expects from a Freo establishment, nautical rope curtains between the bar area and the stage, as well as an artist’s dummy wearing a sombrero hanging from the ceiling above the bar.

Local troupe Ensemble Formidable were the first cab off the rank with Laura Bishop wishing Pimps Of Sound a very happy third birthday. Accordionist Richard Watson was conspicuously missing on the night but that didn’t stop the electro-swing sound from getting punters up and dancing, including Pimps’ bassist Rob Ferari. Edge, written by Formidable Vegetable Sound System’s Charlie McGee, was a standout track, along with Industrial Chook, but Swing, the final song of the set, really got punters’ feet moving.

In a move that showed how well Rob had planned this gig, the changeover on stage was conducted while Ayisha Amani (MC Amani) and a DJ kept the groove going with “some drum’n’bass flavour” before The Brow were ready to roll. She transitioned the set with a massive intro for “The Brow Horn Orchestra”.

Nick Owen was quick to correct that the band had dropped the “horn orchestra” and guitarist Ben Fear quipping “nah, they’re right here!” pointing towards Karri Harper-Meredith and (Trumpet Dude). Ben and Nick swapped rapping duties with their respective instruments playing Creatures Of The Night and Bermuda Love Triangle. One lady was so into the show she managed to jump on stage, Nick commenting, “Well, this is an interesting development!” (Trumpet Dude) and Nick took turns drinking the lady’s wine for her (she seemed to have had plenty already) and Nick deftly kept his mic out of her reach each time she went for it. The guys finished their set with Nick taking a phone snap of the crowd for Facebook, and another well planned and executed DJ set from Gorilla Tactics brought the crowd through the transition from The Brow to Pimps Of Sound taking the stage.

Not only was it Pimps’ third birthday, but also lead singer Millie’s last time with the band before leaving to concentrate on her label Love Sexy Records with her partner. The guys never fail to amaze everyone with Rob’s high-energy dancing and bass playing, while Zen is an absolute gun on the kit. With guest appearances by Tessa as well as MC Impressive and Crazy Craze, the guys had punters wanting even more. They didn’t leave anyone hanging either, spitting out not one but two encore songs to cap the night off.