I know, I know: "...their songs."

Some performers are naturally very shy. The only way they are going to learn to face their fear is to play live (repeatedly).

I've said this before in another forum, but if I recollect rightly, in the early days of Split Enz, either of (or perhaps both) Tim Finn and Phil Judd were in the backs to the audience kind of mode. And Tim has certainly become an energetic stage presence over time.

I think give em a chance. As they get more comfortable, they will probably learn to interact more.

// But getting up on a stage to "perform" to an audience and then not even doing that properly because it doesn't fit in with "just wanting to play music" I believe isn't fine.

Define 'perfoming properly'.

It's their call as to how they approach playing live - and I don't think theres anything wrong with those people who don't wana 'ham it up' just to make an audience smile and go 'oooohhh look at him / her jiggle'. It's music afterall, the largest percentage of the experience should be from what you are hearing and not what you are seeing (IMHO).

Personally I play music just because I enjoy doing so. In answer to your question of why bands who are 'just in it for the fun' continue to play live gigs, and try and get their music heard the only answer I can you is 'because they can'.

I like bands that are enjoying their set as much as I am.

Hey, don't hassle people just because they're from Dunedin!

I apologise for the fact I'm having an illiterate day.

//so into the music they're like deer in the headlights.

That's beautiful!

Don't mind me, I'm just trying to be funny. Lucky I make myself laugh, the world is such an empty place without humour. (Shut up tclak, you're not funny)

Thanks Heather, you make me laugh too.

Don't worry about the stand-up thing, I'm not a malicious person.

Wow, you must be, like, the master of the super-speedy-inadvertent-logout'n'in..

Shoegazers? Someone care to elaborate?

But what if each song is in a different tuning?

No, my gripe is with musicians whose instruments are perpetually out of tune with each other and, try as they might, they cannot get them in tune - often spending half the set trying.
I've got nothing against retuning instruments into different tunings - Drop D, DADGAD, whatever - but even that can be approached with a certain level of professionalism (there's that word again). I had a band in Dunedin back in '94 that played in standard tuning except for 4 songs for me, in which I played in Drop D. To make sure that I could make the change as smooth as possible I learnt to drop the string quickly & effectively and we put all the songs together in the set. Later I got a Hipshot key and, after learning how to use that properly, we were able to play any song in our set without any retuning hassles. I even started retuning in the middle of songs - something, incidentally, that James Wilkinson does perfectly without the benefit of a Hipshot.
I don't believe that professionalism (call it Stage Courtesy if you will) is all that hard to achieve. It just takes a bit of practise and effort on the part of the performer, and a willingness to actually care about what the audience may think.

// something, incidentally, that James Wilkinson does
// perfectly without the benefit of a Hipshot.

Mr. Wilkinson is, for want of a better word, a freak. He not only retunes mid-song, but some of his tuning malarkey (from memory, haven't seen him play for a couple of years), is actually part of the tune. Unreal.

// ... a band having to retune it's instruments between every song

Yep. Not good. Often it's just bands starting out who don't necessarily have the best gear, or even guys with 'good' gear, that, either way, just refuses to stay in tune. Get a new guitar.

// than man played like he'd made a pact with the devil.

Thats because he did... and he got the good side of the bargin... I remember seeing Chug play, and I'd been privy to having some nitrous with him and some others before the set.... he could hardly stand up but as soong as he strapped on his explorer he was a maniac with a mission...

Man I miss the 3D's.

//i play as a muso
i try to perform to the crowd
i think visual asthetics are a must
play good music and visually provide a symphony

Totally!
Some musicians need to realise that while they're a musician there are certain things that are expected, it's the reality of the music industry. If you're gonna be in it, you gotta work with it or be better than it, and quite frankly I don't envision any bands in the near future changing the face of the NZ music industry.

There's no need to leap around being a namby pamby wannabe rockstar, doing actions that don't relate to anything, but bands need to realise that if you're on stage, you're a performer. period.