Brisbane indie-rock stars Custard brought some pre-Christmas cheer to a sold-out home crowd on Saturday night. Wrapping up their regional tour, they gave fans a final salute to remember at Woolloongabba’s The Princess Theatre.
Close mates of Brisbane 90s indie band Custard, The Stress of Leisure joined Melbourne icons The Fauves in delivering solid warm-up sets. I sadly missed getting shots of The Stress of Leisure after being held up in the ticketing line, but I still caught a few songs from their 80s post-punk vault.
Their sound is kind of punk and funk, with a twist of freaky cool. Frontman Ian Powne and his band had the crowd hooked with catchy tunes and killer synths. They definitely sit in a similar musical world to Custard. Their song “Pulled Pork” stood out as a crowd favourite, with punters yelling the words back throughout the set.
Certainly an earworm for the ages.
Before Custard Took the Stage
Next up, The Fauves — formed in 1988 — showed no signs of slowing down. With their latest album, “Tropical Strength”, they brought raunchy guitars and satirical lyrics.
They also dipped into favourites from “Un-Australian” and “Dogs Are The Best People”. As frontman Andrew Cox strutted around the stage like a true rock star, he got cheeky with the punters: “We do pretty good for some old guys…”
Their high energy lifted the crowd’s anticipation for Custard perfectly.
Custard Takes the Stage at The Princess Theatre
Launching into some newer tunes, Custard kicked things off with “Someday” and “Never Loved Melbourne”. Fans unleashed their inner dancers to the funky new material, as Dave McCormack took the spotlight with humour and boyish charm.
Dressed like a true Queenslander, it was hard to tell whether Dave had just come back from a Christmas family barbecue or was simply bringing the fashuuuuun. Rocking a trucker cap, novelty shirt and iconic iconic glasses, he then rolled into old favourite “Lucky Star”.
Nostalgia Brews as Custard Bring Back the Glory Days
Taking fans straight back to their prime years, it was no surprise they knew every lyric. You could tell these boys still love what they do, with bassist Paul Medew smiling through the whole set.
In a sweet star-to-fan moment, Paul pulled his phone from his pocket to snap a few shots of the crowd. As Dave exited the stage, drummer Glenn Thompson stepped up to the mic to lead the band through “Black Shirt”, “Molecules Colliding” and the all-time classic “Music Is Crap”.
Then Dave returned, stirring the room again as the band launched into crowd favourite “Girls Like That (Don’t Go For Guys Like Us)”. After a fan request, they dedicated the next heartfelt melody to a musical friend and strummed into “Ladies and Gentlemen”.
By then, the crowd knew the night was drawing to a close. But Custard were not finished yet, ending the night with the song that started it all: “Apartment”.
It was everything the fans wanted. With rhythmic guitars and sly vocals, it was the perfect way to end a very late night. If you missed Custard on this recent tour, do not stress. Seeing how much fun they were having on stage, it is hard to imagine they will be stopping any time soon.
Photos and words by Dameeka Middleton.
