Ratatat!

I've just been to see Ratatat live. Sometimes right after I buy a ticket to a band - even one I've listened to almost 1,500 times (not including in the car, at the gym, behind work's scrobble-blocking firewall and, now, at Ratatat concerts) - I'm not sure if I'm going for the experience, or because I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that while they played only a few kilometres away I'd been sitting at home, browsing the internet, changing lightbulbs and watching the Friday night movie.

Fortunately, Ratatat were awesome and reminded me of why I like them so much. Playing live, their show is guitar heavy with the all the amps maxed out and the guitars taking centre stage, riffing and wailing parts of their songs I didn't even know you could play on guitar. Away from the studio they sounded like freed prisoners, unshackled to be as crunchy and loud as they wanted. Lead guitarist Mike Stroud's instrument takes on the characteristics of a spoilt, only child - drums and synthesizers obey all his demands and he never had an older brother named vocals to tell him to be quiet and keep to himself.

Beyond the actual music the show was a little weird. I had to kill two hours waiting for it to start, and after deleting all the crap that had appeared in my phone's SMS dictionary and ordering a scotch and coke, that started to drag on a little. For the first time since landing in Sydney I actually felt out of fashion; Manning Bar had many hipsters, with their trendy stubble, ironic clothing combinations and retro shoes. I also saw more young people smoking tonight than I have in the whole two weeks I've been here. I didn't see a single rugby player physique either. Then again, perhaps things will seem a little diverse when you come up from the Sutherland Shire - perhaps the whitest place in Australia. When we got here I assumed all the Australian flags on the cars were in readiness for Australia Day but it's almost February and they're still flying. Even the local curry shop is only just barely by foreigners (they're English). The only legitimate multicultural experience I've had here was with my doctor.