The Teenagers @ Oxford Art Factory 14/6/08

I observed the crowd at the Teenagers sold out (over-sold in fact as my buddy Vanessa reliably informed me) Sydney show on Saturday night with much interest. Beautiful people upon beautiful people poured in to the diminutive Oxford Art Factory, all sharply dressed in whatever Paddington-based designer they are sleeping with at the moment. Everyone was looking everyone else up and down, making mental critiques of each others choice of couture. It was all very amusing....and yes there was a gig on that night too.

The Teenagers in recorded form come off as smug, sleazy Frenchmen. This is not entirely true I found. Sure they are smug, sleazy Frenchmen, but they have an enchanting and probably smug and sleazy lass on the keyboard/rhythm guitar as well which kept the male minority satisfied. Musically they aren't what you would call technical, or complex, or innovative for that matter. But they do know how to put on a fabulous show.

For what seemed like 5 minutes (it was closer to 45, still very short) the band delivered an entertaining show filled with tracks from their debut LP that have been the buzz of blog land for the last 18 months. 'Sunset Beach', 'Starlett Johansson' and 'French Kiss' got all the females in the room (trust me they were numerous and stunning) worked up into a lather, with the first guitar stroke from 'Homecoming' breaking the camels back. At the stroke of the guitar, many many of these ladies stormed the stage. Chaos ensued, resulting in the band being groped throughout the entire song and beautiful women enunciating the 'c' word to the crowd in greater quantities than I have ever heard before.

Although musical boundaries were not troubled, The Teenagers certainly deserved the response they received from the sold-out crowd. With impressive support acts such as Flying Foxes and Reptiles, it was an entertaining evening had by all.