Okilly Dokilly
17th February 2020
Whammy! Bar, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.
In what had to be the most excellent melding of support and headliner known to modern day man, Arizona natives Okilly Dokilly teamed up with Melbournite’s Dr. Colossus last night for a Simpsons themed sonic feast of epic proportions.
Auckland may have been languishing under a heavy blanket of humidity, the fact that it was a Monday only compounding the discomfort level; but all feeling of unease was quickly shed and left lying on the floor of Whammy! Bar the moment Dr. Colossus stepped on stage and laid down their sweet Simpsons themed Doom Rock.
Having been on the scene since 2011, Dr. Colossus are a well-known favourite, the fact that underneath the themed attire and lyrical content lies some seriously substantial and relentless doom-laden riffs certainly earning them a high level of respect amongst the rock and metal community. Struck by tragedy in 2017 when their founding member Dr. Johnston unexpectedly passed away, the band understandably dissolved. Two years later, time being allowed to do what it does best, and Dr. Colossus – complete with a new line-up – are continuing down the path of bringing not only blissfully heavy music worthy of salivating over, but a sense of humour to a genre and scene that is often in danger of taking itself all too seriously.
Storming the stage in full Stonecutter attire, the increasing temperature levels within the bowels of Whammy! dictating that pants were an unnecessary formality, fans celebrated their arrival like conquering heroes. Leader of the pack Dr. Jon, denoted by his formal regalia, taking the band through blistering versions of ‘Lemonade’ and ‘Holy Driver’ – a track about Otto the Bus Driver and Ronnie James Dio that features a smooth segue into a snippet of ‘Detroit Rock City’ from the rock gods themselves, Kiss – before introducing latest single ‘Sixty-Six and Six’.
With Dr. Jon taking a far more melodic approach to his vocals, their new track captures that blues tinged, Sabbath-esque sound they have become renowned for without sounding like just another carbon copy. The subject matter of Rod and Todd refusing to attend church on a Saturday ensuring that the overarching Simpsons theme remains intact but doesn’t overpower the track to the point that it becomes nothing more than comical fodder.
Accompanied by punisher of the kit, Dr. Skin, as well as Dr. Leg who shreds strings effortlessly and Dr. Love on bass, whose moustache and substantial beard is almost as wild as his high leg kicks and full metal facials, Dr. Colossus delivered a set that quenched the thirst. Fans of bands such as Red Fang, Monolord, Fu Manchu and Kyuss as well as some of the overlords of the past such as Motorhead, Dio and the aforementioned Black Sabbath no doubt finding much to digest within their small but muscular discography.
Reaching back into the archives, the four piece threw down a double from their 2016 album, The Death Mountain Collection, ‘Stupid Sexy Flanders’ seeing the mosh pit take it up a notch as the popular track introduced a psychedelic undertone punctuated by a quiver inducing fuzzed out guitar riff (not to mention the various Neds poking their heads through the side curtain to show their approval of the song). Set closer ‘Excellent’, dedicated to the memory of Dr. Johnston, an absolute groove fest of low turned guitars, piquant lyrics and a nod to Offspring‘s ‘Gone Away’ that was the ideal closer to the set.
Dance remixes featuring the instantly recognisable voices of characters such as Agnes Skinner and Marge Simpson filled the room as the stage was quickly flipped by workers from the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant in yellow hazmat suits, complete with “inanimate carbon rods” (ie green glow sticks) on their backs – a humorous treat that flew over the heads of many in the front row (someone excitedly explaining to those around them it was a coronavirus gag) but eliciting a few whoops and cheers from those in the know. It was obvious who The Simpsons fans were in the audience, followers of the show instantly recognising the outfit as that in which Homer Simpson is seen during the intro to the long running television series. The novel way in which Okilly Dokilly use their stage set up time to begin the entire tribute premise admirable.
Instruments ready, the group exits only to reappear on stage a few minutes later as clones of Ned Flanders, Head Ned taking to the mic to welcome all the ‘neighbourinos’ present in a voice impressively almost identical to that of the beloved character himself. Enquiring as to who was wanting to be reneducated, the band ripped into ‘Reneducation’ from their latest album, the appropriately named Howdilly Twodilly, which set off a mosh pit that just did not quit for the rest of the night; requests by the band to lift up those who fall, followed to the letter.
Shifting from the gloom and death metal growl of their opener into the almost nu-metal riffage of ‘When the Comet Gets Here’, allowed Zed Ned on synths to shine as he threw his physicality behind each bar. It also proved that Okilly Dokilly are in fact a band featuring musicians that know how to deliver a tight, live performance; those who have already dismissed them as nothing more than a short-lived gimmick doing well to embrace the Nedal, the very genre of music that they themselves birthed.
Peppering the set with Flanderisms, Head Ned ensures that the illusion remains complete, their matching outfits of pink polo shirts and dark green jumpers matching perfectly with their rounded spectacles. Taking it back to the start ‘You’re a Jerk’ and ‘Flanderdoodles’ illustrate that Okilly Dokilly have come a long way, their debut album not received well by all, their lyricism while amusing found to be lacking somewhat content wise.
But live the tracks go down well, the energy of the band carrying them through, Head Ned performing double duties on bass and vocals while Shred Ned delivered the lead guitar to Dread Ned’s thrashtastic drumming and animated pulling of faces as he urged those down front to go harder. Combine this with a little ‘I Can’t, It’s A Geo’ during which Okilly Dokilly continuously sped up the track with impressive results, ‘Bulletproof Glass’ that is indeed ‘brutalino’ and a request to completely destroy a giant inflatable donut to ‘Donut Hell’ – some punters using their teeth with which to do so – and Okilly Dokilly undoubtedly left a lasting impression while putting to bed any argument questioning their abilities.
The two-song encore that closed out the set was worth the admission price alone, ‘White Wine Spritzer’ seeing Dr. Jon from Dr. Colossus lend a hand on bass to free up Head Ned to really take it home on vocals, before he stripped down to Santana’s ‘Smooth’ to reveal the iconic “Stupid Sexy Flanders” red and blue ski suit; ‘Nothing At All’ as disturbing as it was hilarious.
Okilly Dokilly may not be to everyone’s taste, but last night they brought both their diddliest and their doodliest, proving that as artists they are solid as all hell, live even more so.
Were you there at Whammy! Bar for this fan-diddly-tastic Simpsons themed Nedal extravaganza? Or have you seen Okilly Dokilly perform live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
The Ned List:
- Reneducation
- When The Comet Gets Here
- You’re A Jerk
- Flanderdoodles
- I Can’t, It’s A Geo
- Bulletproof Glass
- Vegetables
- Slaughterhouse
- They Warned Me
- Purple Drapes
- Godspeed Little Doodle
- Donut Hell
- White Wine Spritzer [encore]
- Nothing At All [encore]
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