Puta Madre Brothers - East Brunswick Club

Gig Review: Fri 6 Aug 2010

According to my Mexican housemate, if I went to see this band in their faux-homeland of Mexico, their extremely offensive name might have caused the sign to read something like this: P**a M***e Brothers! The East Brunswick Club on Friday night had no such trouble, instead hosting a sold-out show for the Puta Madre Brothers, who are disappearing from the Melbourne scene for a while.

After a huge year, releasing their debut album Queso Y Cojones (Cheese and Balls), The Puta Madre Brothers are taking their unique style over the seas and far away. Many missed out on a chance to say farewell, with tickets selling out early, and the venue seemed to be at bursting point. One chatty girl in the ladies’ informed me she’d been waiting two hours for her dinner. Her dinner was nachos; she cried “Isn’t this band Mexican? Surely they could help me out here!” The Melbourne Mexi-men clearly have a massive following
Curiosity often gets the better of me before reviewing. I want to know what to expect from a gig. I asked my friend Josh to explain his Puta Madre experience. I received little information, and a one word response (albeit an enthusiastic one) “Insane.”

On Friday night marching girls stood alongside off-duty Go-Go dancers and crowd- surfing rockers, all singing along early to an incredible cover of Fatman Scoop’s Be Faithful (Put Ya Hands Up) by support act TootTootToots: the chaotic flavour of the evening was set.

When the Brothers appeared, they were military-suited, mono-browed, perfectly-coiffed and instrument-clad under the glare of a hot Mexican sun…or maybe they were red stage lights... The sight was theatrical, comical, and as Josh so eloquently put it ”Intense”. Not only was this spicy trio hilarious, with stage presence and amazing (and increasingly sweaty) hair, they also had serious skill.

Their set was full of facial twitches, glamorous female back up singers, costumed trumpeters, broken Spanish wails and was paired with an unstoppable crowd. Their sound of Latin American garage rock caused a serious reaction on the floor, with infectious moving and shaking going on. Each as talented as the other, the spiciest trio this side of Northcote are an indescribable, tumultuous experience in themselves.

Tess Armstrong

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