Gigs
Saturday night, alerted by M., I headed out to the Hopetoun, in Surry Hills, to see the reunited Tactics. Described as Sydney’s answer to the Talking Heads, a designation rejected by the band themselves (in the liner notes to the CD I bought), I’d compare them more to Pere Ubu, an avant-New Wave band I came to rather late in their career, although not so late as I have to this one. Now, I admit, I mainly went to this show because a mutual friend is a member, and I like to think I’m one of those people who support their friends, especially in their artistic endeavors, but now I’m a fan. The show was hopeless, mainly because the acoustics were hideously bad, maybe because the band members hadn’t been rehearsing long, probably because they’ve got to be the loosest band to ever have a recording contract (except the drummer, who was tight – and how does that work, that only one band member can be described that way; never mind, it’s the only way to describe it). The CD is a reissue of both the first two albums the Tactics put out, “My Houdini” and “Glebe,” and it rocks. I fully intend to turn up at one of their next sets, maybe the Annadale, which is close to home, but I’m interested in the CAD Factory itself.