THE ATARIS /

Stealing O’Neal /

Grim Fandango

Amplifier
Sunday, October 25, 2009

Melbourne’s Stealing O’Neal have been steadily forging a name for themselves thanks to an outlook on touring that most east coast bands choose not to adopt. Overlooking expense, Stealing O’Neal regularly make the trip west, which paid off tonight, with a healthy crowd watching them from the front of stage.

Their performance proved that they are seasoned pros when it comes to playing to foreign audiences, with frontman Chris Scott giving their set an overall feeling of friendliness. Their sound however, struggled to find that same happy balance. With one guitar dominating the other, and vocals fluctuating between loud and quiet, the inconsistent sound stopped their songs from delivering the impact that they are capable of delivering.

From the moment The Ataris took to the stage, it was obvious what tonight’s show was all about. With an irregular punk rock crowd in attendance, the majority of punters came to see their favourite high school band, and reminisce about the good ol’ days, wishing that they were 16 all over again.

Kicking things off with Unopened Letter To The World and So Long, Astoria, The Ataris were from the outset, obliging to the punters desires, providing plenty of sing-along moments.

With a revolving door of members in the past, The Ataris tonight played as a three-piece, as they have done on many tours. The uncomplicated sound allowed The Ataris’ songs to breathe, leaving frontman Kris Roe’s vocals to standout above the fast-paced songs.

Coming from a southern Californian punk rock background, Roe came across surprisingly down-to-earth. He seemed to have a genuine appreciation for his fans, and thanked the venue for having them. At one point, Roe even floated a $20 note into the crowd and asked someone to take it to the bar and buy him a Maker’s Mark whiskey.

The band’s appreciation for the crowd was highlighted when Roe and bassist Brian Nelson explained that they had met a guy before the show whose birthday it was, and invited him onto the stage. Roe then directed the punter to exit in stage-diving fashion as they tore into In This Diary. That’s about when things got a little weird.

Instead of leaping into the crowd, said punter ripped his shirt off and threw it into the crowd, and then stole the mic from Nelson’s position and sang along to the whole song. It was funny for the first 30 seconds, but the longer the song went on, the more awkward it became to watch the clearly drunk birthday boy wish he was the lead singer of The Ataris. Fuck it was funny.

Funny the first time that is. Throughout the set, the same punter continually crawled his way onto stage, stole Nelson’s mic and assumed his position as The Ataris temporary singer. They tried their best not to show it, but by the time The Ataris reached the end of their set, they were clearly pissed off that the birthday boy had not only overstayed his welcome, but had also accepted the role as ‘party pooper’.

With the majority of the crowd there for reminiscent purposes, everyone who came to see The Ataris for a trip down memory lane was treated to just that. With the unusual goings on at tonight’s show, it’s one that will stick in memory banks for a long time to come. Mind you, there’s probably one guy who won’t remember a thing.

_GEORGE GREEN