March 26, 2003

Culture
http://otherpress.douglas.bc.ca

Concert Review

March 18
Commodore Ballroom

Photo by Angela Blattman

 

fimanda flikman
fissistant Culture Editor

Not to bring anybody down, but on the off-chance you were
planning to form an Australian Nirvana tribute band, you're
too late, The Vines beat you to it. Lacking the punch of The
Hives, the talent of The White Stripes, and the charisma of
The Strokes, The Vines will likely go down as little more
than a footnote in the history of rock and roll’s latest resur-
rection. With their predictable influences (most notably
Nirvana and The Verve) openly worn on their anti-fashion-
able sleeves, The Vines adequately performed their adequate
songs to an adequately sized crowd at the Commodore on
March 18. To be fair, there were occasional moments that
managed to transcend the formulaic feeling of their per-
formance (such as the enjoyable cover of Outkast’s “Ms
Jackson”), but overall these boys had nothing new to say and
no new way in which to say it. Don't be surprised if eventu-
ally they resurface alongside members of Silverchair to form
the celebrity judge's panel on Australian Idol.

Throughout the bulk of the show and the requisite encore,
The Vines did their best to reassure the crowd of their hard-
rocking credentials, wildly flailing their bodies and instru-
ments about in a routine straight out of Garage Rock for
Dummies. Lead singer Craig Nicholls sauntered and swag-
gered suggestively, defiantly smoking a cigarette and assault-
ing any stage equipment foolish enough to get in his way.
There is a possibility that his antics weren't entirely for show;
after all he can't be blamed for colliding with mic stands and

the other press

drum kits when he couldn't possibly have been able to see
them from behind the wall of strategically tousled hair cov-
ering his eyes. Perhaps next time he will have the foresight
to borrow a scrunchie from one of the adoring young girls
clamoring for his attention at the front of the stage.

I don't mean to suggest that The Vines are completely
devoid of talent, they aren’. It’s just that they are essentially
unnecessary. How many times must we kick the dead horse
of “the next big thing” in the garage rock resurgence before
we finally lay it to rest? The Vines’ songs are well crafted for
the most part, and Nicholls does have a good voice, but their
performance had a blatant going-through-the-motions feel-
ing to it that rendered it instantly forgettable. I’m not ask-
ing for excessive pyrotechnics or giant inflatable devils, just
a little personality would be nice.

Despite the criticisms | may have had of The Vines or their
performance, the one thing I am grateful to them for is mak-
ing the rest of the evening's entertainment so much better by
comparison. After leaving the Commodore for the cozier
confines of the Railway Club, I was treated to two truly
great performances by Vancouver bands Reuben and The
Way Out. Relying on the novel concept of genuine ability
rather than hair-care products and snotty attitudes, these
bands proved that there is much more to being rock stars
than simply appearing on the cover of NME.

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