I haven't been to the Villa Noosa in close to 6 years, and was glad to see the venue has changed considerably. I was particularly stoked to get in wearing a hat and shorts not jeans, BUT the pushiness of some of the staff was a bit much. Hanging out with some of the band's families and friends, they were forced out of the venue to go pay the entry fee ($15) and some didn't even get to finish their meals. bau baaauuu. Not a good move. I've known about the gig for a month, but didn't know the other bands on the bill (The Delta Monarchs who were a no show early with them EVENTUALLY turning up an hour late and Brisbane's The Grains). Hence, I was not expecting the $15 cover charge.

There was a little confusion over who was to play first, with The Floating Bridges stepping up to the stage at 10pm.
Kicking off with the first track off the EP, Colours of the World, the Bridges are a well- oiled groove machine.

This is the first time I've seen the band now with Rohan Nitschke on bass, and he slots into the groove without a hitch, pulling out some far-out Chili Pepper/Flea moves well into the second song. (he was just missing some Teddy bears sewed onto his pants and he would've been right there in Blood Sugar Sex Magik world)
Fire, the 3rd song in the set is always, to pardon the pun, a sure fire way to get people on the dance floor. Super- energetic bounce around song about a good friend Mary Jane.

Dual vocalists, Cale and Dale have worked the harmonies so well that they now entwine nicely.

The rhythm section of Reese on drums and Adro on congas and didgeridoos keep the band driving and get everyone dancing, or tapping their toes at the very least.

It's Spanish Split (I finally got the name right :P) when we see Jimmy, guitarist, come into his own, singing as well as belting out the twang on that Strat. Admittedly, this is one of my favourites. Un. Deus. Tres. Quatro!

So much fun, so much energy on stage.

Finishing on Can We, Shall We, by this time the venue has filled out a bit more and the crowd are lapping it up. Awesome song to end on, with the vocal build ups and stomping beats. Gotta love that djembe/conga breakdown.

There were 2 other great bands here tonight, but to be honest, we came to see the Bridges, and as far as I'm concerned, they OWNED that gig

 

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