Groovin the Moo
23 April 2023
EPIC Showground Canberra
Cover songs can often tell you more about a band than their originals. While not all bands did covers at GTM, the ones that did gave a quick shorthand into the character of those bands.
The Chats did a cover of “Rock and Roll All Nite” by Kiss. Kiss are, let me remind you, a band that wear make up, breathe fire and spits blood. Not a band known for its subtlety. The Chats made Kiss look like a band full of nuance and deft touches. They blasted through the song, like the rest of their set, at breakneck speed with little room for detail.
Amy Shark had added star power in her set with Maximus himself, Russell Crowe, helping sing one song. I’m still not entirely convinced by the singing skills of the Gladiator. As a singer he makes a great actor. He didn’t sing on her cover of “Mr Brightside”, but while the crowd loved the song, her version, much like the rest of her set, felt a step off the pace. All the elements were there except the magical x factor.
Ocean Alley’s cover of “Baby Come Back” by Player was note perfect. Note perfect but impersonal. Six professional musicians playing professionally. Flawlessly. Efficiently. But not much else.
Ball Park Music are almost the perfect festival band. I know this sounds obvious, but I think their secret is that they have lots of really good songs in their catalogue that lots of people know. That’s easier said than done. I think part of the reason can be found in their choice of cover “You’ve got a friend in me” from Toy Story. It’s a little bit twee, a little bit clever, done un-ironically and a song that everyone knew and had an attachment to. Much like the rest of BPM’s set. You were in safe hands with them. A highlight of the festival.
Other bands that didn’t do covers but are worth mentioning were Nothing but Thieves from the UK. They were great. BBNO$, a rapper from Canada, was really good doing an early afternoon set. He also had a guest on stage, but a drunk punter doesn’t quite match having the Gladiator as your guest. Confidence Man… super entertaining. Bordering on Milli Vanilli territory with their music but they provided something to watch at every moment. They put the show into show business.
I could be a smart arse and say that Fat Boy Slim had a couple of covers in his set. But he’s a DJ and that’s the whole point… he sent us all home with a set of classics. Some his own, some borrowed.
