Live Review: TISM @ Hindley Street Music Hall 16/10/26

TISM w/Placement & Oscar The Wild @ Hindley Street Music Hall 16/10/26

One of my favourite bands is The Residents. For those unfamiliar with them, they are an American art collective that has been active for almost 60 years. And no one knows who they are. Well, there are rumours...

They live by a "Theory of Obscurity" which states that an artist creates their best work when they operate in privacy and secrecy, free from audience expectations, sales or critical feedback. Sound familiar?

This leads me to TISM, Australia's masked heroes of music. Yes, some identities have been revealed, but the majority of their work is done behind a veil of obscurity. The No Mistakes Tour has the band headlining for the first time in decades.

After a successful set at the Beer And BBQ Festival at The Drive earlier in the year, we craved more. Every design imaginable of TISM t-shirts littered the audience. And those in attendance tonight were itching for that taste of TISM once again.

After a slight delay in the running times, local indie rockers Oscar The Wild made their way on stage. The atmosphere of their set was one that would fit on Recovery back in the mid-90s – grunge, punk and pop rolled into some knockout tunes. Their originals were great, but the highlight was their cover of Rage Against the Machine's 'Killing In The Name Of', which had everyone on the floor yelling the lyrics back with vitriol.

The second support were also locals: Placement. Coming off the back of their debut album, Insect, the band delivered a distorted and erratic set. Each member loved to be an individual, but the brilliant part was that they worked so well in those spaces. They also continued the '90s vibe of the night that Oscar The Wild laid the foundations for. Closer 'Harder' was a punch in the face (in a good way), leaving you wanting to hear more.

As the TISM Love Crew set up for the band, the floor and balcony readied themselves. Chanting and boos beckoned for TISM to appear. Once the lights went down, the shimmer of sparkly gold suits entered. But the band was unmasked and seemed vastly different to what was on the brochure. This band started with a cover of Barry Manilow’s 'Mandy' and, even though confused and amused, we could not help but sing along.

It wasn't until the "cover band" started their second song that the real TISM arrived in the same outfits, except masked. The placard of "I Drive A Truck' was the first reveal of the night. Ron Hitler-Barassi and Humphrey B. Flaubert took the reins in the vocals, with the dancing TISM members displaying unique and eccentric moves. But whilst this was going on, the cover band continued to play/mime their set.

We cut back into their rendition of 'How Deep Is Your Love' before TISM broke through with 'Mistah Eliot' and 'Somebody To Hate'. The dancing members now with tea towels and more odd movements to counteract the cover band's swaying backup singers.

As is customary in their live shows, TISM invaded the audience. Flaubert sang his way through the floor whilst another member dove into the crowd. Audience members tried to remove his mask, which they successfully did, much to the chagrin of a few TISM Love Crew and other audience members. At least they had a balaclava for him. This goes back to the beginning of this review – the "Theory Of Obscurity" allows for work free of expectations. Leave the masks alone.

The cover band continued to join in, but it became less frequent as the gig progressed. Even the backup singers in the cover band started to become infected with the TISM parasite. 'Life Kills' saw all performers on full energy, and when 'Lillee Caught Dilley Bowled Milli Vanilli' got a play, the crowd were in full voice as well. This became the running theme as 'All Homeboys Are Dickheads' kept the party vibes going. It was a great display of the irregular nature of TISM.

Hitler-Barassi stopped the music for a moment to deliver a customary and brutal monologue. "TISM – Australia's sweethearts!" The cheers were infectious. He attacked Rinehart, Hanson, Murdoch and concluded with, "Buy our t-shirts and kiss our arse!" Then it was back to the music, with 'Mourningtown Ride' having the crowd surfing TISM member back in the audience with his golden mask returned.

The set was filled with the classics. 'Death, Death, Death' was easy to shout-sing along to with the placards, but 'Greg! The Stop Sign!!' needed no lyrical help. It was one of the loudest singalongs I have heard in Hindley Street Music Hall. That was before '(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River' – that was also a spectacle of lights and noise.

The boys finished the set with a cover (maybe infected by the cover band) of Village People's 'YMCA' and fan favourite 'Defecate On My Face'. Possibly the most hilarious moment was seeing the backup singers perform that song.

The encore saw the cover band return before a TISM Love Crew member asked for them to leave. The crowd wanted them to stay. But they left only for TISM to return to deliver an epic light show and intense trio of songs: 'Old Skool TISM', 'Whatareya?' and 'Give Up for Australia'. Flaubert made his way back to the crowd for 'Whatareya?', but it was 'Give Up for Australia' that had the lineup all on stage to end a marvellous night.

We may never unmask everyone that has been with TISM during their 40-odd years on the music scene. But it is better that way. The freedom and enjoyment TISM bring to each show is infectious, and I cannot wait for another insane night of antics.