Live Review: Regurgitator, Glitoris

I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to review Regurgitator's gig last night. I have had an infatuation with Regurgitator since I was around nine years old. It began when I first saw the film clip for Polyester Girl. Not the most appropriate band for a young girl, but who cares, they're fun.

I was easily one of the youngest people in the room. A mature crowd is a nice way to put it. But my god, I have never seen a crowd such as the one at the Republic last night. People were so energetic, bouncing and moving to song after song. The room was packed, sweaty and smelly. But in a good kind of way, you know?

Regurgitator are easily one of the most interesting bands working in Australia currently, and they know how to find bands who bring a similar energy. Glitoris were the perfect support for a band as crazy as Regurgitator. The Canberra four-piece perform under monikers inspired by the Australian Government, including Andrew, Malcolm, Tony and, my personal favourite, Kevin 007.

Perhaps not quite as irreverent as Regurgitator, Glitoris's music focuses on topics such as gender imbalance and how we as Australians treat our First Nations people. Dressed in full-body silver morph suits and incredible glitter make-up, Glitoris gave so much energy and received a hell of a lot in return. The band definitely walked away with some new fans after that set.

Australians are good at taking the piss. Being witty, joking around, it's one of our best traits! Regurgitator have made their name by not being too serious. The band have been touring for over two decades now and you would think in that time that one would get sick of singing, "I sucked a lot of cock to get where I am", but it does not appear to be so. As soon as Quan Yeomans, Ben Ely and Peter Kostic stepped on stage the crowd were gearing up.

I am a short, kinda small girl. Standing near the front of the stage, surround by very tall, very big men, would usually be somewhat intimidating for me. I don't know if it was the fact that we were about to see the 'Gurge or that older crowds tend to be more considerate, but I did not have the usual thoughts of, "Am I going to get crushed standing here?", just pure excitement.

The band opened with a couple songs off their latest album Headroxx, including the title track. While these songs were fun and the audience was enjoying themselves, it's fitting to say the crowd liked their old stuff better than their new stuff. As soon as the band started playing I Sucked A Lot Of Cock To Get Where I Am, the crowd took off.

The 'Gurge kept up an insane amount of energy for a 26-song set! Each track they played felt like the first. With a broken peddle and some slight mistakes, the band experienced a couple false starts, but the room did not care. Ending the night with fan favourites Black Bugs and ! (The Song Formerly Known As), the crowd got wild, jumping and dancing and singing very out of tune. This gig was the perfect amount of fun and professional and I am so incredibly happy I got to experience it.