There’s chaos at the Enmore Theatre tonight, and absolutely nobody seems surprised. TISM are back in Sydney, and Australia’s most gloriously unhinged musical institution is doing what it does best: turning a rock concert into an exercise in organised disorder.
First up, Laura and the Hell Cutz deliver a cracking set of grungy rock, grabbing the crowd’s attention with gritty guitars and plenty of attitude. It’s a fitting introduction to the madness that follows.
Then TISM arrive, and all hell breaks loose. Masked band members repeatedly venture into the crowd, and mayhem unfolds in every direction. It’s loud, ridiculous and great fun. Amid the pandemonium, the band’s Love Crew keeps an eye on proceedings, making sure everyone is looked after.
TISM remain one of Australia’s most peculiar musical propositions. Their combination of biting satire, genre-hopping songs and complete anonymity has earned them a devoted following that clearly hasn’t lost its appetite for the absurd.
Tonight, the Enmore is a circus, the audience is part of the act, and TISM are having the last laugh.
Some things are simply better left unexplained.
Images Deb Pelser
