The Go! Team + Toy Balloon @ The Zoo, 03.05.2011

I always despise those half arsed, cliche-ridden, lazy street press live reviews that end along the lines of  “…and the crowd all left with smiles on their faces”.    However, if anyone reviewing tonight’s Go! Team show ends their review with similar words, I’d be more than happy to forgive them. [update: oh, look! ]

Watching support band Toy Balloon, I’m worried for The Go! Team as there’s maybe 30 people here.  Even though there’s a sudden filling up of The Zoo between the support band and the headliner, I’d be surprised if there were more than 150 people here and the place was mostly empty from behind the mixing desk.  But everyone of those 150 were clearly having the best time at one of the most fun gigs I’ve been to in ages.  It made such a change to see everyone getting into the band instead of being stood watching the show through an iPhone screen.

Photographing The Go! Team is a really tricky prospect when the stage is so full and there’s so much movement going on but especially difficult when there’s no photo pit and the instructions from the front desk are that it’s first three songs.  On top of that there’s a lot of back-lighting and I find myself photographing straight into a light during the three songs and have to try to take photos when one of the band momentarily places themselves in the way of the light.  It basically becomes a hit and miss experience and by the end of the three songs I’m not sure if I’ve actually taken anything that will be usable.  Looking at the photos I’ve taken back home afterwards, it’s disappointing to have it confirmed that they’re not a very good set of photos that really do justice to the band and their performance tonight.  I would have loved to have photographed the band at one of their Groovin’ The Moo festival shows elsewhere in Australia and made the most of having a photo pit to get some decent photos of lead singer Ninja.  She’s an incredible front person, never stops moving, full of jumps and high kicks, looks fantastic, is totally charming and delightful and I keep finding myself slightly mesmerised by her washboard stomach.  The band are probably missing a trick by not releasing a Go! Team fitness workout DVD.

Next time they come to town (if there is a next time, the rumours are that there won’t be),  I hope there’s more than 150 people there to see them.  I can guarantee that you will leave the show with a smile on your face.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.