Vivian Girls, last night

First, a brief shout-out to Brisbane ladies, Feathers. Only saw half a number, following a rather traumatic 12-hour car drive from near Rockhampton to be at the show, and it seemed a little (dare we say) post-Vivian Girls, but what I saw was easily enough to intrigue. Seemed like my kind of folk. Possibly. Oh, whatever.

Three points, I think.

1. Surprised at the number of folk who shook my hand following The Legend! and The Deadnotes set (some from the stage, like I was a visiting star). As The Deadnotes had no real idea if I'd be making the show, they'd devised a set-list of instrumental numbers that could be adapted: this was great, cos it meant a couple of instrumentals got thrown in; it was bad, because it mean that I in my jaded state was thrown away from my natural inclination towards improvised song starts and banter; it was bad because bloody 'Man With A Beard' got played again and I knew even before that the 'Monster' songs would go down better; it was great because it gave The Deadnotes that extra ounce of focus required so they could relax and get on with inventing stuff; it was bad because... oh wait. That's enough.

Two chaps after were like, "We loved the way we couldn't figure out musically where any of you were from. The previous band, we were wondering if they were a Sonic Youth tribute band - but you...Your guitarist was awesome!" Well, he has been around in town for a while.

Interesting that in Brisbane all the folk who talk to me re: performance - and there were about 15 last night, including Vivian Girls who indicated they far preferred the Jad Fair/Monster Song and Love Song song; and some drunken fellow who told me he'd held up his mobile during our last number, recording the song and was sending excerpts from it to random friends - are male, almost exclusively. What's up with that? Maybe if I changed the lyrics from "I want to fuck a man with a beard/It won't be too weird" to "I want to be hurt/By a girl in a leather skirt", it might tip the balance...?

2. Beforehand, Vivian Girls surround me and thank me for this, and tell me that I'm one of the few critics who "get it" - it, in this case, being the fact THEY ARE NOT FUCKING SHOEGAZING (etc, etc). I tell them about the recent (one-sided) spat I had with some anonymous sexist drone from Pitchfork over Pens, and... wait. I hate bands who tell me they like my criticism. It's ridiculous. Vivian Girls have made a handful of great records, and I'm fortunate enough to hear them. Anyhow, I can't help feeling that before tonight I so totally really didn't GET Vivian Girls in the way I should have, because...

3. Now. NOW! Now I've seen Vivian Girls play live, Katy throwing her hair around and raising a beer to Friday so reminiscent of Maggie Vail (Bangs) I totally get it, whatever there is to GET about Vivian Girls. They are pure - straight down the line, Red Aunts, Ramones, Minor Threat - punk rock, no more no less and certainly for the better. Caught them just before the set practicing their three-part harmonies. It's a wall of sound. It's a wall of sow-ow-ow-ow-ound. Goddamn it. It's so fucking great.

Shop Assistants were punk - in a way that the following have never managed even once: Kaiser Chiefs, The Primitives, Hives, the Mary Chain, The Strokes, The Vines.

But Vivian Girls are punk.