Live music has limitless ability to trigger an emotional response. It can make you cry, it can make you angry, it can bring you peace but best of all it can make you laugh. There is nothing in the world quite like naughty lyrics that make you look differently at the world or lyrics that reveal the foibles of human kind. The connection that you feel when you realise that your ridiculous secret thoughts and behaviours are actually shared by others is something special. This was brought home to me when I went to The Homestead to see The Tuck Shop Ladies.
The Tuck Shop Ladies are two Melbourne girls, Rosie and Sam, with a ukulele and a bass uke singing folk/bluegrass inspired tunes that cut to the core of the modern Australian life. I consider that it is a good sign that a gig is going to be fun when the sound check has you laughing and, by those standards, this gig was going to be cracker. The show was a rollicking good time from start to finish. It is not every day that you find songs that express the real pain of having five keep cups in your cupboard but you want a coffee now so you’ll have to buy another or being away from your love and having ten missed calls from them only to discover that they only want the Netflix password. We’ve all been there.
The Tuck Shop Ladies also take to you to intellectual depths with “Nothing Rhymes with Orange”, and share the trauma of adulting with “My Dog Won’t Lick”. They pose the big questions like why don’t we ever see baby pigeons and what to do about cheese addiction. The song writing is brilliant in its simplicity and these girls can really sing. Their harmonies are beautiful and without flaw.
Just when you think the fun is at its zenith then they pull out their covers. The 90’s hip hop medley was fun, I mean there’s nothing quite like a folksy/bluesy version of Kriss Kross making you go jump. The trashing of the bridge in Beyoncé’s “All the Single Ladies” or as they would say putting it in the fridge was side-splitting fun but my favourite was their uproarious version of George Michael’s “Faith”. I mean who cares what words you sing in the verses? You got to have faith, faith, faith.
Despite the fabulous musicianship, the highlight of the Tuck Shop Ladies’ show is the banter between Rosie, Sam and the audience. The genuine love and affection between the musicians is spread to the audience and you feel more than just onlookers but part of their show. You feel as though you are in the gang and they are letting you in on the secret – life isn’t worth living without a good laugh.
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