Tropical Fuck Storm were raucous, abrasive, at points, unintelligible and in the words of my companion, “yeah, nah, it was fucked”. While these might sound like the words of a malicious review, if you were at their Sydney Lansdowne Hotel show, you would’ve felt the same and you would have loved every minute.
If you haven’t heard of TFS then, fuck, you’re fucking missing the fuck out. The supergroup comprised of Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitshin (The Drones), Erica Dunn (Harmony and Palm Springs) and Lauren Hammel (High Tension), form the supergroup and they definitely put on a memorable performance.
Showcasing new songs from a series of four 7” releases, the Fuck Storms didn’t give the audience a moment to catch their breath, forcing their unapologetic art-punk tracks into ears of unprepared punters. The banshee backing vocals of Hammel and Kitshin, along with heavy sub-bass, trip-hop drums and atonal guitar lines complimented Liddiard’s notorious snarl and political cynicism.
The crowd of what seemed to be avid and cultish Drones fans had heard the first releases of TFS, ‘Chameleon Paint’ and the Death Grips-esque ‘Soft Power’ which translated to something much more brutal in a live setting. As well as the brand spanking newbies, the band were also able to slide in some Drones classics, ‘Taman Shud’ and ‘Baby’.
Interestingly, the energy from the crowd was somewhat lacklustre but TFS, however, spent 45 minutes throwing themselves around the stage, to the point where drummer, Lauren Hammel, looked like she was about to chunder all over her kit.
There is a bit of mystery surrounding how far TFS will go after the next two 7” releases. Is there going to be more material? Will there be another tour? Well, if this is the last we see of Tropical Fuck Storm and you weren’t there, you fucking missed the fuck out.
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TFS play two more headline show in Melbourne this week.
