The Hi-Fi in Brisbane’s West End played host to infamous punk rock cover band Me First And The Gimme Gimmes as they passed through town on their current Australian tour with supports Mental Giants and Army Of Champions.
A little after 10pm the lights go down and the band stroll onto the stage. Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, known for their matching outfits, are all sporting white pants and blue Hawaiian shirts, with frontman Spike Slawson adding a white jacket and sunglasses to his ensemble.
The touring Me First And The Gimme Gimmes are rarely the 'genuine' band line-up, but usually they’re pretty close to getting it right. This tour sees original members Spike Slawson on vocals/ukulele, Joey Cape on guitar, and Dave Raun on Drums join part-time Gimme Gimmes Scott Shiflett on guitar, and Eric Melvin on bass.
The always charismatic Spike Slawson owns the stage as they jump straight into 'I Will Survive', a song yet to appear on any previous studio releases, giving fans a teaser of what might be a new album on the horizon.
Tonight’s punters were treated to a 22 song setlist which included tracks from their latest projects, Go Down Under and Sing In Japanese, as well as a crowd pleasing selection covering their entire back catalogue. Two songs in the mix tonight were performed only by Slawson with his ukulele, which may have been a cheeky plug for his new band, Uke Hunt.
The four-song encore drew to a close with a fitting rendition of Boyz II Men’s 'End Of The Road', concluding a very impressive show from an always entertaining group of lunatics.
