The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's 10am(!) and Brisbane's coolest kids, (and their Gen X, die-hard, music-loving parents) are ready to party. It's time for PO!GO!GO!
The Pogogo Show is a kids show created and performed by Brisbane's famous '90s and noughties pop, punk-rock, funk and disco legends Regurgitator.Children and parents arrive dressed up at Brisbane's Princess Theatre (16 July); some as Pogogo's much loved characters, including Ghost Cat and Mr Butt, and parents with an air of festival vibes in sequins, '90s rock blacks, and a few old ‘Gurg band shirts in the mix.
The show opens with a mini puppet show rendition of the Reugurtator classic, 'Polyester Girl'. The parents really dig it, more so than the children.
The puppets explode into real life with Ben Ely, Quan Yeomans, Peter Kostic and Koko (Jerico) Wallace bursting onto stage in their matching hot pink jumpsuits, as they introduce the 'Really Really Really Really Boring' live show; featuring an entire recorded album of songs the band have created and sang for their own children.
Far from boring, the show is a joyous, nonsensical, manic, rainbow-playground of colour and sound.
Exceptionally creative, imaginative, playful, silly, absurd and really, really, really, really funny, it's apparent that Regurgitator doing a kids show actually makes a LOT of sense and is true to their always inventive nature.
Playing all of their Pogogo classics including 'Farting Is A Part Of Life', 'Best Friends Forever', 'The Box' (which sounds almost identical to 'Kong Foo Sing') and 'Party! Party! Party!', the true essence of Regurgitator shines through to our future generation as they dance, mosh and throw themselves around the room in true '90s punk-rock formation.
And for the parents, The Pogogo Show is fundamentally a wholesome, child-friendly Regurgitator gig, during sensible daytime hours, with all of your favourite songs slightly refashioned for the youthful audience.
It's a really fun time. And instead of getting kicked in the head with a crowd surfing, Dr Martin wearing, beer throwing adult, it was a toddler kicking you in the back and throwing up on the floor. Same, same.
Crowd favourite lyrics included 'What's at the end of the video game (aka Satan's Rainbow)' and 'I sucked a lollypop to get where I am'. If you know, you know.
Feeling fortunate to have packed the baby noise cancelling headphones for my nine-month-old girl – who was successfully overstimulated by the huge wall of sound and colour, and completely overjoyed at her very first gig.
The show ended with the all time crowd favourite '! (Song Formerly Known As)' and we all screamed and danced as hard as we could one last time before we spilled out onto the street at midday and prepared for nap time. What an absolutely wonderful, really, really, really, really awesome time.
