Shows/1990-11-24
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They Might Be Giants
— with The Ziggerants opening —
Metropolis Nightclub in Brisbane, Australia
November 24, 1990
Fan Recaps and Comments:
Tickets were $16.
Preview of the show by Kathryn Cruise
The Sun, Nov. 1, 1990:
John Flansburgh - one half of American duo They Might Be Giants - is homesick. It's been some time since he's seen his one-bedroom, New York flat. "We're real homebodies," Flansburgh said on the phone from a hotel room in Chicago, where he and co-Giant John Linnell are on tour. "We've been on the road since January."The service started six years ago as a way of giving fans a chance to listen to new material from the duo.
The Giants' tour brings them to Australia this month, and they will play the Metropolis Dance Bar in the city on Saturday, November 24. Since they formed six years ago, They Might Be Giants have made a name for themselves. The alternative American college circuit has been their biggest market. Their album Lincoln even managed to topple U2's The Joshua Tree from No 1 spot on the college charts in 1988. More recently, the album Flood - which features 19 examples of their quirky music - made the top 10 in the UK. "At the moment, we're staying in a rural town but it's got a large college," Flansburgh said. "We're staying in the nicest hotel we could find that still has a coin-operated laundry." A hotel with a coin-operated laundry, Flansburgh explained, was an asset to any on-the-road performer. "I prefer to do my own laundry, because I can do it in the middle of the night if I want," he said. "And I mean, I don't like the idea of other people washing my clothes - not that I've got anything to hide, my wardrobe is extremely normal, just jeans and T-shirts." Flansburgh's wardrobe may be normal, but it's not a word you'd use to describe the music he makes with Linnell. Take, for example, the sort of instruments they use - a giant saxophone, an accordion, an assortment of electronic gadgetry and two trumpets. "We tend to strip down arrangements of songs when we're doing live shows," Flansburgh said. "We have a metronome - that's the rhythm section - and John plays the accordion and I play guitar.
The pair plan to rent some additional instruments in Australia.
Flansburgh said he was looking forward to the tour, but he's also looking forward to going home to water his plants and change the Giants' Dial-A-Song service tapes.
Preview of the show by Sandra McLean
Sunday Mail, Nov. 11, 1990:
TMBG have spent most of this year touring Europe and the US to promote their second album, Flood, and this week start their first tour of Australia. Although Flood features a collection of musicians, TMBG tour as a duo. "Yep, it's just the two of us," said Linnell. "That's the way we have always been. I play accordion and John plays guitar. We have an eight track backing tape and lots of other instruments." These "other instruments" include tubas, a bass drum, saxophone and an assortment of electrical gadgetry. In the same vogue as British band The Housemartins, TMBG like to slip in a political message by relying on crazy lyrics and bizarre tunes that leap from sea shanty to folk to jazz. Flood is the band's first album on a major record label (Warner). TMBG released a cassette on the independent label Bar/None in 1986 and Lincoln followed in 1988. Linnell said working with a mainstream label had not affected the band's style of music. WHEN AND WHERE: Nov 24, Metropolis Nightclub.
A preview of the show by Sean Sennett
Time Off, Nov. 23, 1990:
Heading to Brisbane this weekend are avante garde popsters, They Might Be Giants. Performing on Saturday and Sunday night at Metropolis, the duo are here to promote their latest album, Flood. The record has already spawned the singles Istanbul (Not Constantinople) and Birdhouse In Your Soul. In recent years, TMBG have enjoyed great success on the UK and American college charts. Birdhouse In Your Soul actually went "the whole ten yards" in England, getting the band on Top Of The Pops and their faces on the cover of the NME. In some quarters the track, Don't Start, is held in the same esteem as this year's schoolies save for Blister In The Sun. After battling a five-second time delay on the telephone, John Flansburgh gave us the lowdown on this idiosyncratic duo who took their name from an obscure George C Scott film. "We're looking at the trip as a vacation," said Flansburgh. "We'll be doing a lot of shows, but we'll need a few days to get over the jet lag. I've never travelled so far on a plane before."Flansburgh, and partner John Linnell, have been touring consistently since January. "We've been across the United States three times, and to Europe twice. But, this is the adventure tour for us." They Might Be Giants began life 10 years ago. Initially the pair never thought they'd get a get a gig off campus - let alone embark on a world tour. "It was a very non-professional thing when we started," said Flansburgh. "We started it for fun. We were a local New York band for a number of years before we even made a record. There was a whole approach to what we did, which had nothing to do with getting played on the radio. We were nothing like what a band is supposed to be about. Really, we're just doing something for our interest." From all accounts the stage shows are something not to be missed. "The shows are hard to explain...but it's really easy to see how it works," he continued. "We use a tape with a drum machine and sequenced bass on it, and some other sampled stuff. John (Linnell) plays the accordion and I play the guitar. We do all the vocals live. It's not a lip synch show - it's very non-illusionistic. It's different to your regular rock show. It's not stylised...there's no drum solos. It's a good show, people should check it out. Appearing with the band on Saturday night are the Ziggerants. Supporting on Sunday are Fear Of Falling. If you decide on Monday that you need more of the Giants, call Flansburgh's Giants' hotline on Brooklyn 1 - 718 - 387 - 6962 to hear more. Remember to leave a message after the beep.
