Live Review: Van She - The Toff In Town

Every year Anzac Day reminds us of Diggers, dawn service and of the sacrifices made for our country's freedom. Casting back our memories to days gone by the nation spares a thought for the fallen and celebrates their lives and memories. But before the commemoration and ritual on that special day, a mid-week dance party at the Toff, sees the tiny venue jam packed with Van She dance nuts, ready to remember how much they loved their somewhat absent heroes.

It's been a long while between drinks for the Sydney foursome and the fans are naturally pumped up to see their electro-pop idols releasing a new single Idea Of Happiness before the new album due in July. With the public holiday the next day and the party now planned to kick on until the wee hours of the morning (just in time for dawn service) they are going to need some help from special guests Forces, Otologic DJs and Kris Baha.

Van She have come along way since forming in 2005, and the sold-out gig is an undeniable show of love from dedicated fans expressing their appreciation of the band's great dance aesthetic. After keeping us waiting (to build tension no doubt), the boys bravely kick off with a couple of new tracks, Move On and Jamaica, but the crowd, made up of mostly Sydney ex-pats, are a little cold with their response.

Thankfully Changes makes all the difference and as the fans go wild, suddenly the room resembles a bouncing castle. Lead singer Nicholas Routledge - looking like he walked off the set of a John Hughes film - really lets loose, rousing the punters to join him in the dance frenzy. Strangers keeps the momentum up, and with the bass absolutely pounding the tiny venue, it doesn't matter whether you want to dance or not. New track You're My Rescue shows Routledge busting out his falsetto to excellent effect and new single Idea Of Happiness, with its summer-time anthem feel, gets a huge round of woos! Sex City closes out the set with its '80s vocal effects and rolling bass thump leaving the throng with something sentimental.

Overall, and this is going against the usual trend, I like their new stuff better than their old stuff. Onwards and upwards, Van She.