LIVE REVIEW: ELECTRIC SIX + BRI & SI @ THE TRIFFID 17/03/26
Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi Photos Steph UreWell, the Saint Patrick’s Day surprise was heading off to The Triffid to see Michigan disco rockers Electric Six. And, ‘When I Get To The Green Building’ the crowd was informed that “it’s really the Electric Five as the synth player is missing,” stated Dick Valentine. So, with a baguette, sparkly black shoes and double-entendres flying, Electric Six and their support band Bri & Si brought their high-voltage sets to The Triffid stage and delivered sharp musicianship with swagger, absurdist humour and style.
Bri & Si kicked the night off with a tight and eccentric support act that warmed up the crowd with wonder, wit and jagged energy. The two dance music project of producers Brian & Simon came onto the stage to that 1970s kitsch track ‘Popcorn’. The silver suits, silver masks, and disco lights are something you definitely need to see live. It was like Eurovision meets a school disco hosted by your English teachers. Bri & Si’s set was hilariously funny and full of energy.
Their set started with ‘You Do You’, before the Giorgio Moroder synths cut in with ‘Hundred Voices’, ‘This Magic’ and the very funny ‘Words’. Bri & Si were certainly priming the crowd. They are obviously skilled music producers as they played with house, progressive techno and trance music. The Roland Gaia virtual analogue synthesizer got a work out on ‘AI Always’ and ‘Home Smile’.
Bri & Si brought the “good vibes” as they closed out their set with ‘The Business’. The whole performance felt like a light hearted piss take but it was something much deeper with the musical skills displayed. The set was so much fun and it left everyone with huge smiles.
After a stage reset and a heap of equipment packed away, the crowd waited for Electric Six. The beers were put in place, setlists laid down and then the ‘intro’ of ‘It Ain’t Punk Rock’ was played as it asked the crowd “if you're on land, you can come and see my piece of shit band!” and the knowing humour and the ‘nod and wink’ game was on!
Electric Six are all about the raucous ‘Gay Bar’ and ‘Danger! High Voltage’, and while these songs are firm fan favourites, they have plenty of better songs in their arsenal. And the 23-song set proved it! The band also has a front man in Dick Valentine who is a complete showman: a lounge lizard who has that cabaret style and the panache of a crooner – with his baguette. Was that a visual metaphor or symbolic? Or both? Not sure who ended up with the two pieces when they were thrown into the crowd.
Electric Six's performance was preceded by Dick Valentine's matter of fact introduction: “We are tonight the Electric Five as our synth player is not with us. We dedicate this song to him. We have 16 albums. Song number one is off one of them,” and the band commenced with the opening chords of the chaotic ‘Synthesizer’ and the room was automatically in full party mode. It was followed by ‘Turquoise’ from the new album. Dick Valentine then continued to refer to each song numerically by the position on the set list and promised the “greatest hits were coming” as they played them.
The most amazing song of Electric Six’s back catalogue was played at song number three: ‘Rock And Roll Evacuation’. Dick Valentine said it was a song of the times (and I agree) but he said the band were “planning to defect” and were there any of the ladies in the crowd, “prepared to help with the visas?” delivered in his wry manner. It was brilliant! ‘The Hotel Mary Chang’ followed it and both songs were delivered with cheek and swagger.
What was clear about the whole set was that new songs sat splendidly alongside classics. The tracks ‘Naked Pictures (Of Your Mother)’ and the satirical and funky ‘Down at McDonnelzzz’ were swanky and went off! Then, the crowd got into ‘New Shampoo’.
The triple-hit of ‘Gay Bar’, ‘Gay Bar Part Two’ and the explosive ‘She's White’ were dazzlingly performed as the songs weaved in and out and each track was met with yells, hands in the air and a few spilled drinks from the crowd. Electric Six followed this flashy and funky demonstration of sharp song writing with ‘Randy’s Hot Tonight’, the deep cut ‘Night Vision’ and the quirky and humorous ‘Hot Numbers On the Telephone’.
Dick Valentine and the band (guitarist Johnny Na$hinal, rhythm guitarist Herb S. Flavourings, drummer Dr. Jay and bassist Mr. Poison) paused to sincerely thank the crowd for “coming to see us as we had driven here from Adelaide via Darwin”, with comments about “gas” and for “investing in a Tuesday night,” with them. The statements were delivered with such dry wit that it perfectly summed up the band’s intense and odd humour.
The songs ‘Window of Time’, the Irish nods to ‘craic’ and The Triffid’s green tiled walls were referenced in ‘When I Get To The Green Building’ reminded everyone that Electric Six had always had groove beneath their grin. Then, ‘Future Is In The Future’ proved strangely moving in its disco-dystopian way.
Electric Six know exactly what the people want, and the band do not hesitate to give it to them. The crowd wanted a cocktail of disco with ‘Improper Dancing’, ‘Danger! High Voltage’ with the “fire in the disco and fire in the Taco Bell”, ‘Panic Panic’ and ‘Dance Epidemic’ and that’s what they got. It was glorious – like dynamite!
The last two songs of the regulation set were the fabulous irony-laced ‘I Buy The Drugs’ and then ‘Bite Me’ closed it out. The enthusiastic crowd called for more and the band returned to deliver a three-song encore.
The encore “of not just one or two but three songs,” stated Dick Valentine and it allowed Electric Six to deliver some deep cuts in ‘Getting Into The Jam’ and the dark ‘Germans In Mexico’. The evening was brought to an end with the delivery of the ever popular ‘Dance Commander’ as the crowd bounced along and the joy in the room was tangible.
Detroit’s finest did not disappoint: Electric Six may thrive on dark humour, but the joy in the band’s performance and in the crowds’ reactions to it was utterly sincere. The 90 minutes that the band had delivered was simply a blast that left fans happy, satisfied and dripping with perspiration.
It was so good; I want to do it again. Watch out Miami Marketta! Sláinte!
