Tuesday 03/04/07 Pixies, Jarvis Cocker, Phoenix, New York Dolls @ Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide

If you wanted to be churlish, you could dismiss tonight’s line up for the Best Of V as nothing much more than a collection of reunions and rehashes: the New York Dolls are back together again with just two of their original members; Phoenix offer what has sometimes been described as eighties retro; Jarvis Cocker is giving it another go five years after Pulp’s last hurrah; and Pixies, well, you surely know the story there.

To go with the excitement of seeing the Pixies again, there’s naturally a measure of anxiety. What if they don’t pull it off? New York Dolls immediately do something to set our minds at rest by proving that reunions can work. Where once they were celebrated for their energy and sloppiness their performance tonight is all about energy and precision. David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain, the two survivors, are clearly the stars of the show but they’ve chosen their new band mates rather well. The Dolls’ fashion sense, once seen as outrageously camp, is now relatively tame, but Johansen does find the time to distribute some flowers to the audience. These could well be gladioli, perhaps in a nod to one Steven Patrick Morrissey, their biggest fan and architect of their reunion, but you’ll need someone with a little more expertise to confirm that. Is it time for a botanical correspondent at Gigwise? The Dolls close with a cracking rendition of 'Personality Crisis', the first track on their first album, and though their set was none too taxing it was well worth the early start.

Phoenix were originally scheduled to open tonight’s show, but have been bumped up the order. Given what we’ve just seen that seems rather harsh on the Dolls, but the post-gig rumour has it that the New Yorkers wanted to catch Tony Joe White, who’s also in Adelaide tonight. No matter: Phoenix are very different to but on a par with the New York Dolls, catching many of us by surprise. Time to abandon the bar. Though they offend French sensibilities by singing in English, Phoenix have a Gallic flavour to go with what is essentially some straightforward, large-scale rock and roll. And just like the New York Dolls, they know exactly how to work a crowd. With Cyann & Ben recently starting to win some recognition as well, perhaps we’ve been doing French rock a disservice all these years. Maybe it isn’t an oxymoron after all. Bravo, mes amis.

Jarvis Cocker is another outstanding entertainer, and he also knows a thing or two about Adelaide that he’s happy to share. He tells us that we’re in the driest city in the driest state in the driest continent, before predicting that we’ll soon be a little moist. If we are, it won’t be as a result of his musical endeavours. Part of the problem is that he doesn’t really fit the bill: under normal circumstances the promoter who suggested New York Dolls or Phoenix as suitable warm ups – or that Jarvis might support the Pixies – would surely be looking for alternative employment. Such are the vagaries of festival line-ups.

Without further exposure it’s not easy to say that his new songs are fundamentally flawed, but with just one exception the arrangements we hear tonight are certainly lacklustre. 'Black Magic' has a wonderful, bass-driven intro and maintains interest from start to finish, making it a clear highlight. ''Disney Time' and 'Running The World' come close, but these three alone can’t lift the set. Ultimately it’s not enough to be all knees and elbows and have a charming manner, but we’ll have to blame the band, the material or the programming: with his performance up front tonight, Jarvis has put himself beyond criticism.