REVIEW: Van She - Beach Road Hotel 25.04.12

ANZAC Day at the Beach Road. Chuck in a BBQ, beer in plastic cups and dose of casual racism and you’re as Australian as Dick Smith. While the more respectful among us may have headed into George Street to show gratitude to servicemen past and present, the socialites of the Eastern suburbs were on hand to bop and jive their public holiday away to Modular shoegaze maestros, VAN SHE. Amidst the waves of salty bleached-blonde hair, three-day growth and sun-damaged skin, I squeezed my way through a healthy crowd of young wannabes to get an up-close view of our Sultans of Chic.

A late kick-off meant Sydney quartet Van She would play to a well-lubricated herd of local hipsters and hipsterettes. Equipped in their latest couture, Nicky and the lads played an assortment of their back catalogue, encompassing their self- titled breakthrough EP, debut long-player V and of course the latest addition Idea of Happiness. Synthesisers drenched and rinsed throughout the set, and though they appeared disinterested, the foursome were on point from the get-go. A typically buoyant display (especially from Matt) toed the line of heterosexuality, but the frontman’s dance repertoire was only reciprocated and escalated by his audience. When in Bondi…

The quartet kicked it up a notch in the latter half of the set, with their own remix of ‘Strangers’ injecting some much-needed energy to a stagnant dancefloor. The 4-piece closed the evening with an old favourite ‘Sex City’ but my personal highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the sight of two seemingly sober straight adult males giving an impassioned performance of ‘Kelly’ to one another. Even Nicky looked uncomfortable.

Words by Dominic Sciberras.