The Holden Monaro I’m told is/ was a truly great Australian-made way to get around.
A ride which Steve McQueen, James Dean or Paul Hogan would have sat behind in a cool '60s, '70s heartbeat.
Pluralise it, stick a ‘Los’ in front of it and you have a perfect name for four gentlemen currently delighting Sydney audiences with their brand of snarling, soothing, swinging, surf-guitar rock sans vocals.
In the style of Link Wray et al but with Mike Anderson steering this sonic longboard towards the great point break in the sky. “You know there’s no way I can handle a cage man!” and all that.
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In an age where every singer sounds like Adele and X Factor’s lovechild, it’s refreshing to just fuck the vocals off altogether and be drawn into the beauty of Anderson’s swooning, licking and tremolo-ed Fender Stratocaster.
So to be the opening act for the Irish Film Festival's opening night party (30 March), now in its third year, initially seemed a curious choice. But with the addition of a mysterious frontman ‘Mr Green’, it all makes sense.
The gathered sons, daughters, grandkids and mates of Éireann are treated to a generous serving of Irish rock including Thin Lizzy’s ‘Whiskey In The Jar’, Them’s ‘Gloria’ and The Undertones ‘Teenage Kicks’.
Image suppliedAnd with their black-tie look and cinematic sounds, Los Monaros playing live in the gorgeous bar of the Chauvel Cinema, we could be on the set of Tarantino’s next movie.
“Let me introduce the band,” growls Mr Green. “On guitars, Mr Blue, Mr White. On bass, Mr Pink, and you’re staying Mr Pink 'cos I say so, and on drums Mr Blonde. And they all tip!” But which one’s the cop?
The Monaros blast out ‘The Good, The Bad And The Ugly’, ‘Apache’ and ‘Ace Of Spades’ and Mia and Vincent are on the dancefloor shaking what they've got.
With more stage presence than the usual suspects, the prettiest bass player in surf rock today, and a for-one-night-only Irish vocalist, other classics include Sultans Of Ping’s ‘Where’s Me jumper?’ and The Pogues’ ‘Summer In Siam’ and ‘Dirty Old Town’. It’s banging.
The Irish Film Festival heads to The Kino Cinema Melbourne 6-8 April. Los Monaros will be driving south, windows down, stereo full blast into the red-dust sunset sky.
