Aaah....the old Maleny RSL. Methinks the diggers had long been tucked up in bed with their milos and jimmy-jams. For as we stepped out into the mist-enshrouded night, we were greeted by a rumandcoke adds life! loutish throng who were certainly up to no good, ready and waiting to attack with their "cun-I've-a-dolla-sister-gotta-smokebrother" bumming onslaught.

We finally pushed our way through to find the tickets cheap and the food good - a cup of good chai does wonders. Inside, the warm atmosphere was feral too, but in a nice my-dread-got-stuck-in-my-nosering kind of way as opposed to the COMPLETE NUMB-KNUCKLE FERALITY freaking punters outside. By all reports, Maleny folksters Woodkin were warmly recieved by those gathered early. The Eastern vibes of "Skeleton Waltz", with Jan's enchanting fiddle playing wrapping around Breeze's ethereal voice and Rod's delicate guitar playing, were a particular highlight of a set which deserved a far more enthusiastic response than it received.
	Unfortunately we just missed Woodkin but did arrive in time to see Henry the Magnificent Five Object Juggler Dude who provided great entertainment. I kept thinking GUTS - it took total guts to get up in front of strangers and be funny AND juggle and he did it with true style and wit and a unitard that left LITTLE to the imagination - never a dull moment and it really made me wonder how people come up with their routines. Look out for this guy - very entertaining, great juggling skills, but best from an audience point of view - a well-developed comedy routine to show off those chucking skills.
D-Ko, the reason why I'd made the trip up were on next. Was the slow death of my car worth the hassle? Now, many, many years ago I used to know my breakbeats from my handbag house, my trip-hop from my hip-hop, my drum and bass from my trance and.......and well, now I just knew what I liked to shake my ass to. And there was a lot of ass shaking going on at D-Ko. These guys, in my narrow, but well-refined techno music palate, reminded me of early Bass X in performance style (lots of jumping around and good times to be had as well as some rapping), but with the rockin-rollickin drum n bass of Pocket. Oh yes, and heavy dose of Underworld, because of that gritty, filthy dirtiness that scoured most of D-KO's tunes. The Maleny crowd loved it, with about a hundred up on the dance floor straightaway. All tracks were solid, with "Static Electric" standing out as a punters fave.
	D-Ko are a cross between electronic, rap and punk - they're still refining some aspects of their sound and direction and some moments could have been tighter but the sounds and energy generated as well as their hard-core passion stood out by a mile. The vibes being generated by this band are becoming something really special. The dude Simon Lilley on guitar was fantastic - the effects he created were wicked and he was effective at knowing just when to provide an effect and sometimes melody without turning it into a Richard Marx rock fest. Brilliant. Breeze wailed away like there was no tomorrow, with a healthy dose of interpretive dance thrown in, with great vocal and synth support from Evelyn Golding.
Kris Swales was obviously the ringleader, dictating with controlled authority from behind the drums - which, without fail, were spot on and totally funky. Here's a bold prediction......I reckon Kris Swales has got just enough Rock Star Attitude in him to be one mean old hard-rockin, beat-pushing legend. His erstwhile partner in crime Simon Dennes complemented him perfectly and worked off Kris with well-practised precision, all the while jumping round like an ant colony had given birth in his pants. Shades of early Vision 4/5 behind the keyboard dancing action there. Dirty sounds - yep, loved them, lots of screeching, backed up with wicked live percussion and mood chords. Could've have danced all night....except couldn't, because the Volvo was in danger of being sucked into the mist, never to return....or, as was more likely, to be nicked by the wankers outside.

But really, truly, apart from the perpetual burnt rubber stench that followed me around the whole night, a great night was had by all. D-KO rocks! As the wise old Moll himself used to say "Do yourself a favour......"

The much-loved local heroes Malpunktion rounded out the night with their trademark ska/punk/jazz fusion, kicking off with the Spaghetti Western-tinged "Skunk" and continuing with a set of originals (and a cover of Men at Work's "Down Under" which shat all over Pennywise's dismal attempt) which was lapped up by the Maleny faithful - at one stage frontman Daniel forgot the words, only to be prompted by the screaming youngsters moshing front of stage.

DJ Cin Maya had the floor cranking til midnight with some pumping progressive house, trance and breaks, and then the lights went up on the Maleny RSL. All in all, a great value night in the hills, with diversity the winner......