Review: They Might Be Giants at Astor Theatre

They Might Be Giants at Astor Theatre
Sunday, October 13, 2024

An army of fans packed into Astor Theatre on Sunday night for the first of two epic performances from 1980s/90s indie rock renaissance legends They Might Be Giants. The dynamic duo were on tour to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of seminal album Flood and delivered all the hits from the record along with a mixed bag of favourites spanning the band's career to date.

A tour originally announced in COVID-era 2020, with the Australia leg further delayed from 2023, had finally arrived in Perth. Fittingly for a band that was never boxed in by genres and eras, the audience ranged from OG 80s and 90s fans to kids in their twenties and even parents with their teenage sons and daughters.

A mixed aura of excitement, anticipation, and “OMG, this is finally happening” could be heard uttered amongst an eager crowd who had piled in early for the first sold-out show in WA. With the absence of a support act, this was set to be an epic night, consisting of 32 songs spread over two hours and two encores of the band’s self-proclaimed “alternative-indie-treble-kickin'-rock music.”

Keeping with the run of luck that caused delays and rescheduling of announced tour dates, the evening began with its own hurdles as the band struggled to get power connected to John Linnell’s keyboard and it was unable to be used for the first few songs of the night. Although the impact was minimal at best, TMBG seemed undeterred, demonstrating the hard knock professionalism and attitude of just getting on with the show. Linnell led from the front with accordion in hand, opening the first set with Synopsis for Latecomers, Particle Man, and Subliminal as the stage manager solved the power issue and guitarist/bassist John Flansburgh quipped, “Years of touring have taught us that shitty tech leads to an amazing show!”

Fans have come to ‘expect the unexpected’ from TMBG, and this anniversary tour was true to form. There was no predictable setlist from start to finish to be heard. Instead, the album tracks were delivered out of sequence, peppered among a mishmash of other releases, namely from the 2021 album, Book, along with a smattering of crowd favourites and greatest hits.

In what can be summed up as a carnivalesque, big-top-type atmosphere, the band certainly came into full swing when backed on stage by their horn section of tuba, trumpet, trombone and sax. Combined with their stomping rhythms, atypical lyrics, and the somewhat operatic storytelling nature of their songwriting, TMBG formed a controlled chaos of sorts that never missed a beat and had the audience absorbing every moment. Their true charm is knowing not to take themselves too seriously, which conjures up a wacky, comedic live performance, delivered by a seasoned, tight-knit musical ensemble.

Classic tracks, Someone Keeps Moving My Chair, Twisting, Women & Men, and of course the indie favourite Your Racist Friend, all from Flood, really turned the volume up as the beers flowed and the unashamed group dance moves from the audience jigged over the floor at the front of stage.

Keeping with TMBG tradition and never ones to adhere to trends even in the midst of their own self-indulgent album anniversary show, an extraordinary version of Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love (dubbed Stellub) played sonically in reverse. Perfectly rehearsed and masterfully delivered, the die-hard fans lapped it up, although anyone attending the show in support of their friends could be forgiven for thinking, “What the hell did I just watch?”

After a brief intermission, TMBG returned to the stage for their second set while a video playback of the sonically reversed Stellub played over the rear projector. They resumed the show with Memo to Human Resources and Man, It’s So Loud in Here, and dove back into the Flood repertoire with Letterbox, Minimum Wage, Whistling in the Dark, and Hot Cha before drawing the set to a close with the staple track Birdhouse in Your Soul.

With certain crowd favourites still pending, the audience was treated to not one but two encores, with all the fans anticipating what was coming. Hitting the stage again, this time with a full brass band in tow, first with a powerful spotlit trombone solo, followed up by the high brass notes of a wailing trumpet, the band kicked into high gear with the classic, Istanbul (Not Constantinople), which gleefully tore through the audience to get the house jumping before the band exited the stage once more, only to return for a second encore with arguably their most commercially accessible song, Dr. Worm.

After more than a year of anticipation and an epic, two-set, two encore performance consisting of an impressive 32 songs, the show proved to be outstanding value for the fans who have waited so long. It’s undeniable the reach and influence that TMBG have had over the decades and this generously entertaining performance showed they love their Australian fans as much as we love them.

ZAC NICHOLS

Photos by Muhammad Imran