Clean, hip vocals mixed with some punchy alternative rock are what Evil Eddie is all about; and Saturday night the Northcote Social Club was where he and his merry band of misfits unleashed their version of hip-hop.
Addressing the slightly undersized crowd, Eddie launched into friendly pre-show banter before opening with a darker track from the new Welcome To Flavor Country album, “Ain’t Love Grand”.
The projector screen behind the band lit up with alternating visuals of home video, 80s cult classics, and Eddie’s own music clips. This complimented the muted and complexly vocal track suitably well.
After “Ain’t Love Grand”, Eddie assured the crowd that “we’ll have fun later,” right before storming into the catchy and slightly more upbeat “Bad Son”, that all the males in the crowd could relate to on one level or another.
The accompaniment of Eddie’s drummer and bassist, Joseph, worked exceptionally well throughout the show. The on-stage banter between the two allowed the crowd to feel like part of the show (“hands up who thinks Eddie looks like David Hicks?”).
As Joseph bounced senselessly around the stage in a beat-fueled frenzy, there was an overwhelming sense that these guys love what they do.
“De-Sex Your Ex”, roared to life with Weezer-like riffs that were light, bouncy and playful. A little more alternative rock than hip-hop, the song showcased Eddie’s previous experience as frontman of the partially successful band Butterfingers.
By this stage the crowd had developed into a larger assembly and with the encouragement of the emcee, everyone moved closer to the stage in time for “What You Give Is What You Get”. Vocally accompanied by his fellow bassist/drummer, Eddie carried the boppy beats in his stride, fully utilizing the acoustics that the venue had to offer.
Crowd pleaser and all-round upbeat mover, “(Everybody Say) Evil”, saw Eddie leap off stage and into the now feverish audience, all joining in to shout “EVIL!” into the microphone as the performer circled the room picking people at random to sing the chorus.
The set took on a darker agenda when the medium paced but ominous “Voices In My Head” filled the air accompanied by some kitsch 80s horror film footage that flickered on the projector backdrop.
This was followed closely by the curiously named “Paranoid”; a story-like, mild tempo track that exhibited the exceptional time keeping skills of the touring drummer and Eddie’s own vocal range.
There’s no doubt that he knew what the crowd was waiting for, and after taking a little too long searching for ‘Steve – O’ to wish him a happy birthday, Eddie and the band closed with the notorious fan favorite “Queensland”.
As the set drew to a close, punters ambled out the exits or towards the merchandise stall for a chance to meet’n’greet the headliners over one last pint.
The lack of an encore was disappointing, albeit unnecessary considering the amount of material that was crammed into one hour.
Evil Eddie has confidently matured as a musician, using the show as an opportunity to demonstrate a diversity of talents suitable for Australian hip-hop die-hards and those who want to see an experienced stage man in action.
