MUSIC: World Party at SXSW/Club Exodus 3/15/06

So there I was in the middle of the aforementioned packed dance floor of Exodus, surrounded by limeys, all in heavy anticipation of the return of the mighty World Party. Seems like every conversation I overhead featured a British accent going on about how long it had been since they’ve last seen the band. I hear you guys, seems like decades ago I last saw them in St. Louis. So yeah, we all then had a bit of a collective freak out as Karl Wallinger took the stage, backed only by fiddle player David Duffy and master electric guitarist John Turnbull, and kicked the show off with a devastating version of "Put The Message In The Box"—still the greatest pop song ever written about the act of voting. And a slew of World Party greatest hits proceeded to follow. Everyone in my immediate vicinity knew and sang along to each and every word of every song, including the "woo-woos" on the highly spirited and loose version of "Way Down Now." And during "Love Street" I noticed a steady stream of tears rolling down the cheeks of the very beautiful woman who was standing next to me. Easy to see how Wallinger’s brilliant tunes can have that effect on people.

Wallinger was as charming as ever. His customary and affable between song one-liners were plentiful and dead on funny, and Turnbull’s amazing guitar work nicely filled the absence of a full electric band. Given the time restraints of a SXSW set, the show was just about perfect. As he left the stage, Wallinger promised a new album and US tour in May. Bless you, Karl Wallinger...
www.worldparty.net