Review: Def FX at Badlands Bar

Def FX at Badlands Bar
Sunday, December 17, 2023

Australia’s favourite witch, Fiona Horne, and her band Def FX cast a spell over the crowd at Badlands Bar and transported it back to the halcyon days of the early nineties.

It was a time when the pioneering Aussie band were JJJ darlings, pioneering a style of electro-rock that would later seep into the mainstream consciousness through bands like The Prodigy.

Her 'Majick' worked, and watching the charismatic Horne prowl the stage was reminiscent of a wild gig at Curtin University back in the ‘90s, where there was a spa full of people in front of the stage for some reason.

With the venue itself also about to become nothing more than a memory, one of Australia’s most underrated bands performed what was quite possibly their farewell concert for an extremely appreciative crowd who delighted in a pumping set of drum-less electro rock featuring almost all of their most popular songs.

Horne is the only original member, but then Def FX was always her vehicle, and the ageless singer showed she still has it with an energetic performance that drove the gig and during which she displayed a genuine affection for the crowd that had turned out.

The band as a unit sounded great and didn’t miss a beat as they charged through a 15-song set farmed from their four albums, taking in all the Def FX standards fans were hoping for, although Sex Game Sucker was a notable absentee.

Jamie Pajuczok provided the hard rock edge with his guitar work, with strong support from Sian Williams on the bass, while Ant Banister pulled double duties on the keyboards and as the Sean Lowry impersonator, providing the trademark growling vocals for which the band’s co-founder was known.

The set featured a number of Def FX’s early songs from their debut album, Light Speed Collision, many of which were aquatically themed, through to some of their more pointed work from later in their catalogue.

Horne explained how the song Mask, from the Post Moronic EP, explored the insecurities she faced even when she was a starlet of Australian music with an adoring fanbase.

These fans are a loyal bunch, and they soaked up the rare chance to see Def FX live one more time, with the crowd response peaking with their more popular songs like their signature tune Surfers of the Mind, the aforementioned Majick, Spell on You, Psychoactive Summer, and No Time for Nowhere.

The night concluded with an encore, which was the aural assault that is the title track from Light Speed Collision, before Horne and the band lingered with the faithful for pictures and autographs.

It felt like a bit of a long goodbye, with Horne herself pondering during the show whether Def FX might ever perform again, its previous gigs having been back in 2019 and with her now living in the United States and approaching 60 with admirable zest.

It may well have been the last ever Def FX gig, and if so, it was a high note to go out on. As someone who still uses the title of one of their songs as an online banking password, it felt like a privilege to be there for it.

SCOTT COGHLAN