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Concert reviews Music

Inbreds’ deja vu

THE INBREDS with FOX THE BOOMBOX at Lee’s Palace, March 11. Tickets: $10-$12. Attendance: sold out. Rating: NNN Rating: NNN

Now that teenagers are dressing like Adam Ant and bragging about their 80s obsessions on Myspace, what’s next for the urban hipster elite? A full-on 90s comeback? After long-lost fuzz-pop duo the Inbreds packed out Lee’s Palace last Friday – a feat they rarely accomplished during their Edgefest-era heyday – it seems 90s retro parties are the next shit. And while there was a conspicuous lack of flannel and Docs, the joint was nonetheless rammed with nostalgic indie kids looking to turn the clock back.

Playing their first show since 1998, drummer Dave Ullrich and bassist/singer Mike O’Neill were also feelin’ the vibe. “We never really got to say goodbye properly,” declared Ullrich to rapturous applause. “It feels like 1994 again.”

No kidding. Despite the touch of grey in Ullrich’s hair, the pair sound exactly the way they did a decade ago. And even if Ullrich still has a propensity to slow down and O’Neill’s fingers flub a bass figure here and there, their strengths were always melodic. And on that note, the band was spot on.

Rather than boring us with a bunch of new stuff, they went the Pixies route and delivered a greatest hits set. While some of the band’s lesser-known material dragged a little, songs like Matterhorn, Prince and Any Sense Of Time were all rolled out with the same earnest, stripped-down delivery that made the Inbreds indie rock poster boys a decade ago. And the audience loved it.

Floored by the response, the pair said afterward it was their best show ever. And judging by the lineup at the merch booth, it probably was. Even though it was billed as a one off, don’t be surprised if we see sporadic gigs from these two – especially when we consider that Ullrich is reissuing much of their material on his new label, Zunior.com.

Openers Fox the Boombox are five crazy ladies who look like they just walked off the set of Willy Bogner’s zany 1986 ski flick Fire And Ice. And to paraphrase that movie’s trailer, the Fox played a high-pitched, keyboard heavy-set that was guts, grace and glamour – all the way.

However, someone should tell ’em the 80s thing is totally over. These days it’s all about the 90s.

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