Regurgitator supported by Party Dozen and Dubbzone @ The Dalrymple Hotel 21/06/24

Photo by A Snee

Three diverse acts on the bill drew an eclectic crowd to the Dalrymple Hotel for this high-energy evening.

Dubbzone, a local First Nations hip-hop artist, donning a kangaroo skin with matching gloves, warmed up the crowd nicely. He shared his perspective about the struggles he faces as a murri working in the music industry in the lyrics of Canary In a Coal Mine.

Returning to support Regurgitator after their last show at the Dally in 2022 was Sydney act, Party Dozen. Offering a combination of drums and sax, one patron, Salvatore, described their sound as “a cacophony of saxophony”. Mostly performing instrumental music, the duo’s psychedelic sound was loud and certainly unique. A bunch of younger revellers professed they were mainly there to see the Party Dozen set, but perhaps this was not so much the opinion of the middle-aged crowd who were keen for the trip down memory lane that came next.

It’s obvious that Regurgitator has a solid following here, this gig being their third visit to our city in as many years. The playful stage presence of Quan Yeomans and Ben Ely, with Peter Kostic on drums, was well-received as they stepped onto the stage, posing the question to the audience, “Are you ready?” looking out to us with big grins, wide eyes and all intentions for a fun night.

We were generously treated to a cross-section of their classic bangers, most notably from albums, Tu Plang and Unit including Kong Foo Sing, ! (The Song Formerly Known As), Polyester Girl, and Black Bugs. Yeoman and Ely have always been partial to exploring some very adult content in their lyrics with plenty of four-letter words sprinkled throughout. Given the average age of the crowd, it made me laugh watching the patrons with their spectacles and thinning, grey hair (or none left at all) sing along at full volume, particularly to tracks like World of Sleaze, Blubber Boy and I Sucked A Lot of C#ck. If only our kids knew what we listened to before we “grew up”.

But the band were also here to promote their new album Invader, and a selection of new tracks went down well with the crowd too: Dirty Old Men had the room bouncing up and down while contemplating the lyric’s social commentary about the corruption and greed of the powerful patriarchy; we were transported back to the 80s with the synth sounds of Cocaine Runaway; and the chorus of title track Invader had a rocking Lenny Kravitz-esque vibe to it. However, I think it’s safe to say that the majority of attendees probably liked their old stuff better than their new stuff (sorry - I had to do it!)

A quick costume change was inevitable before the boys brought home their set with a smashing encore. This was a performance that fans will be raving about to their friends who missed out, and will definitely see people lining up again in the future to witness these talented Queenslanders doing what they do best.