If you don't want to party, don't go see the Philly Jays. Their joy from being back together is contagious.
Founding members Joel 'MC Bad Genius' Beeson and Simon 'Berkfinger' Berckelman pulled the plug on the band a little under four years ago after the mammoth success of their debut album, 'Hope Is For Hopers'.
As their pre-recorded introduction announced at Jive (29 October), after such a long break they feel like they have something to prove. With their raucous live shows and hook-laden new album, 'Summer Of Doom', it feels like they never left.
The Philly Jays are a little like Machine Gun Fellatio or The Beards, in that their lyrics are often very funny but their music is never a joke. They put the fun into funky. Their pre-recorded banter was often hilarious, even though it mistakenly thought they were in Sydney on two occasions.
While the humour and the stage antics all add to the charm, the songs lie at the core of their success. In about five lines of lyrics, 'Going To The Casino' conveys a complex and serious message while simultaneously being so catchy and entertaining that it isn't a downer.
The theme of being unlucky in love pervades much of their music, but it is dressed up in such colourful clothing that it makes Morrissey look like a whinger... or more so. No matter what the origins of the songs may be, on stage the band is determined to have a good time.
Beeson and Berckelman are both frontmen and imbue their performances with such personality that you cannot help but smile as you watch. Their new material, such as 'Get Happy Again' and 'Spend More Time With You', was greeted as enthusiastically by the audience as older material.
The crowd reached another level when Berkfinger set up camp in the crowd for the encore, riding the waves of hands to sing 'Save Our Town', 'The Good News' and the Jay-Z cover '99 Problems'.
A band with a live show like this will recruit new, loyal followers with every tour. Eccentric Sydney popsters High-tails and cacophonous locals West Thebarton Brothel Party put on worthy warm-up performances, ensuring a consistently merry evening.
Philly Jays, promise to never leave again.
