if you're looking
So last night shaula82 and I saw Active Child at the Oxford Art Factory. Aside from the fact that they didn't play Wilderness, it was everything I could have hoped for.
Poor Patrick, though. I was kinda wondering why his shirt seemed so shiny, whether it was sort of synthetic silky material or already drenched with sweat in the second number. By the end of the gig, it was definitely the latter and I felt a little bad when he had to actually wipe the sweat off his face with his forearm and still play and sing. If I could do that gig over, I'd give them half an hour longer to play and Patrick a different top. Although it did make for a beautifully entertaining moment between stage and audience when he said the white shirt had been a bad idea and naturally a few girls in the audience yelled "Take it off" which he tried to ignore and then said rather quellingly: "It's staying on." And then Stratton made some hilarious comment about freckles which just made my night. Hee hee. Bandmates banter for the win.
It was only an hour's set. I was mildly furious when I saw this on the page tacked to the wall. But once they began and by the time they finished, I really didn't feel like I was cheated out of anything. It was so rewarding, such a wonderful blend of delicate beauty and soundscapey power. And all from three guys and a laptop.
Two support acts, the first of which was totally fascinating and I have got to track down some songs. Oliver Tank, one guy with riotously curly hair and such a sweet demeanour, managing guitar, keys, loops and some pretty melodies. Note to self: chase this up.
The second support made absolutely no impression on me. It was only when I was back home listening to Sound Lab and looking up old playlists that I discovered Caitlin Park is a Triple J Unearthed find. Most charitable thing I can say is that maybe that'll develop into a more assured more interesting sound. Some potential there but really not presented or evolved enough, I reckon.
It's funny, Shaula and I were discussing our attitudes to support acts earlier in the evening. To my surprise, she doesn't make a point to turn up early to see them. But then she sees a lot more bigger bands in bigger venues than I do. Or rather, I see a lot more smaller venues, I suppose. When I used to go to a lot of gigs. And as I told her, I never would have discovered the Mess Hall if we didn't turn up to the Von Bondies gig early enough. Like hell do I care about the Von Bondies, vaguely enjoyed them then, had absolutely no interest in them after and what on earth happened to them any way? Don't know, don't care. But Mess Hall? Oh boy, what a journey that's been and still going, bless their lil cotton sockses.
I don't theenk this gig was sold out, there definitely were tickets still available at the door. But the venue certainly filled up, a lot more than I expected. Quite a few video cameras which made me curious but I didn't stop to ask.
I did wonder if they'd end up playing the whole album but no, I don't think Ancient Eye was played. Pretty much everything else, though. Hanging On wasn't quite as effective as I'd hoped, not quite as precise. But then they've been performing that for well over a year now, I'm sure, so no wonder. Anyway, if I want a perfect live version of Hanging On, there's always that one from the hotel room.
Er. If I can find it again. Might have been on Vimeo rather than YouTube. Ah. Found it. Google is my friend.
I was holding out for Shield & Sword and Way Too Fast, the latter of which always overtakes Hanging On every now and then as my most favourite. And dear god, I was so not disappointed. It was utterly fucking magnificent, absolutely mesmerising from the very first throbbing percussive beat. I was watching Patrick negotiate those gorgeous notes on my favourite line ... soon you'll be all by yourself ... watching his hands rise and close in, so totally focused on the delicacy and purity of that melody ... and yeah, that's when I realised this would be a fraction of what it must have been like to watch Tim Buckley perform.
That vocal talent, you know. Actually watching one guy on a stage soar and step his voice through octaves and melodies and note progressions that make this unearthly sense of rightness. The mysterious language of music and why we wait around a darkened room with a whole lot of strangers for two and a half hours on aching feet, waiting to witness this and feel it. Feel it.
God, it was remarkable. One of the few gigs I've been at where the audience was almost completely silent, so totally respectful and all there to listen, not fucking socialise. Admittedly there were two incidences of hearing a low voice either behind me or to one side but that was all right, I could forgive it. At one point, I realised the entire room of people was so silent that all I could hear was the music, Patrick's voice and the clinking of glasses from the bar. Fanfuckingtastic. Those are the moments, man.
I did wonder how appreciative he was of the reaction he got. When the curtains opened on them, there was a brief wild cheer. And rather amusingly he signalled the end of almost every song with a "Thank you" at which point every time the audience sort of mildly exploded into applause. And occasionally not so mildly. He did remark that we were much more subdued compared to the beer-slinging-girls-on-shoulders crowd at Brisbane Laneways the night before. And he did respond with a few namaste gestures that were much less pretentious than you usually see. Christ knows I always automatically raise a brow when some white person tries to throw me a namaste. But he did it almost unconsciously, rather sweetly, enough that I gave him the benefit and had a bit of a chuckle when I remembered he is from Los Angeles, after all. :p
Then today there was a rather touching message on Bookface, saying the Sydney gig was really special. Gaawwww!
Shaula was saying earlier how shockingly young he and the other guys seem. I fully agreed though I kinda knew that was the case. And like everybody else there, we were totally fascinated by the harp, watching his fingers on the strings. Me, I kept wondering if the little black circle high up was the mike or whether it was the amplifier next to him picking up the notes. Stratton had the laptop next to him, I could barely see him from the angle we were at, thank christ I already knew he was on guitar and keys. I do love how well their voices blend on the little harmonies Stratton does, really makes for such a great sound.
Likewise, I'm soooooo glad there was an actual drummer rather than loops on the laptop. Brennan didn't do anything fancy I noticed but I'm so grateful for his energy, that I could actually see him and see it happen in front of me as opposed to a laptop flicking out pre-recorded sounds. I was wondering if Shaula knew how energetic Patrick was going to be when he got up from the harp and went to the keyboards. She didn't, it was such a great shift of energry and very much appreciated by the audience, I reckon.
When he announced the last song, there was a protesting moan which I just loved. But they did come back to do two songs. I'm pretty sure the first one was I'm In Your Church At Night. The second was definitely Ivy cos that was such a revelation. No whispery female voice and he was rather amusing when he told us not to be surprised that he doesn't sing cos there are no vocals in the song and it's his favourite off the album. The revelation for me was just how amazingly intricate the song actually is. I don't think I ever fully appreciated that, I tend to get happily lost in the cumulative effect. But to see him do all those melodies on the harp strings ... yep, riveting.
The merch was pretty disappointing. The album, the EP, vinyl of the album. And a tee. I always hate it when band tees are in white. Like hell do I wear white ever! I had been hoping for little badges but no dice. *sigh* Pity. But I took a crappy pic on my phone during Hanging On and immediately put it on Facebook so that's my proof that I wuz thar. Hopefully next time.
I really couldn't believe it was happening, that something so deep that had started so recently could be so quickly rewarded. And rewarded so well.
And I knew, I just knew we'd see them before the gig. And sure enough, when we were sitting in Wok On Inn, talking nineteen to the dozen as we do, they walked past, then doubled back. I took one look --- like I'm not going to look at musicians carting gear --- saw Patrick, very carefully did not fall off my stool and had to tell Shaula twice before she looked. I knew that would happen, I just did. They had Japanese next door. *nods* Poor lads had to sit at the window.
And ooh look, found footage already!
Yeah, the recorded sound's not great. He sounded a lot better in person.
So so glad I got to see this, their first gig in Sydney.
Poor Patrick, though. I was kinda wondering why his shirt seemed so shiny, whether it was sort of synthetic silky material or already drenched with sweat in the second number. By the end of the gig, it was definitely the latter and I felt a little bad when he had to actually wipe the sweat off his face with his forearm and still play and sing. If I could do that gig over, I'd give them half an hour longer to play and Patrick a different top. Although it did make for a beautifully entertaining moment between stage and audience when he said the white shirt had been a bad idea and naturally a few girls in the audience yelled "Take it off" which he tried to ignore and then said rather quellingly: "It's staying on." And then Stratton made some hilarious comment about freckles which just made my night. Hee hee. Bandmates banter for the win.
It was only an hour's set. I was mildly furious when I saw this on the page tacked to the wall. But once they began and by the time they finished, I really didn't feel like I was cheated out of anything. It was so rewarding, such a wonderful blend of delicate beauty and soundscapey power. And all from three guys and a laptop.
Two support acts, the first of which was totally fascinating and I have got to track down some songs. Oliver Tank, one guy with riotously curly hair and such a sweet demeanour, managing guitar, keys, loops and some pretty melodies. Note to self: chase this up.
The second support made absolutely no impression on me. It was only when I was back home listening to Sound Lab and looking up old playlists that I discovered Caitlin Park is a Triple J Unearthed find. Most charitable thing I can say is that maybe that'll develop into a more assured more interesting sound. Some potential there but really not presented or evolved enough, I reckon.
It's funny, Shaula and I were discussing our attitudes to support acts earlier in the evening. To my surprise, she doesn't make a point to turn up early to see them. But then she sees a lot more bigger bands in bigger venues than I do. Or rather, I see a lot more smaller venues, I suppose. When I used to go to a lot of gigs. And as I told her, I never would have discovered the Mess Hall if we didn't turn up to the Von Bondies gig early enough. Like hell do I care about the Von Bondies, vaguely enjoyed them then, had absolutely no interest in them after and what on earth happened to them any way? Don't know, don't care. But Mess Hall? Oh boy, what a journey that's been and still going, bless their lil cotton sockses.
I don't theenk this gig was sold out, there definitely were tickets still available at the door. But the venue certainly filled up, a lot more than I expected. Quite a few video cameras which made me curious but I didn't stop to ask.
I did wonder if they'd end up playing the whole album but no, I don't think Ancient Eye was played. Pretty much everything else, though. Hanging On wasn't quite as effective as I'd hoped, not quite as precise. But then they've been performing that for well over a year now, I'm sure, so no wonder. Anyway, if I want a perfect live version of Hanging On, there's always that one from the hotel room.
Er. If I can find it again. Might have been on Vimeo rather than YouTube. Ah. Found it. Google is my friend.
I was holding out for Shield & Sword and Way Too Fast, the latter of which always overtakes Hanging On every now and then as my most favourite. And dear god, I was so not disappointed. It was utterly fucking magnificent, absolutely mesmerising from the very first throbbing percussive beat. I was watching Patrick negotiate those gorgeous notes on my favourite line ... soon you'll be all by yourself ... watching his hands rise and close in, so totally focused on the delicacy and purity of that melody ... and yeah, that's when I realised this would be a fraction of what it must have been like to watch Tim Buckley perform.
That vocal talent, you know. Actually watching one guy on a stage soar and step his voice through octaves and melodies and note progressions that make this unearthly sense of rightness. The mysterious language of music and why we wait around a darkened room with a whole lot of strangers for two and a half hours on aching feet, waiting to witness this and feel it. Feel it.
God, it was remarkable. One of the few gigs I've been at where the audience was almost completely silent, so totally respectful and all there to listen, not fucking socialise. Admittedly there were two incidences of hearing a low voice either behind me or to one side but that was all right, I could forgive it. At one point, I realised the entire room of people was so silent that all I could hear was the music, Patrick's voice and the clinking of glasses from the bar. Fanfuckingtastic. Those are the moments, man.
I did wonder how appreciative he was of the reaction he got. When the curtains opened on them, there was a brief wild cheer. And rather amusingly he signalled the end of almost every song with a "Thank you" at which point every time the audience sort of mildly exploded into applause. And occasionally not so mildly. He did remark that we were much more subdued compared to the beer-slinging-girls-on-shoulders crowd at Brisbane Laneways the night before. And he did respond with a few namaste gestures that were much less pretentious than you usually see. Christ knows I always automatically raise a brow when some white person tries to throw me a namaste. But he did it almost unconsciously, rather sweetly, enough that I gave him the benefit and had a bit of a chuckle when I remembered he is from Los Angeles, after all. :p
Then today there was a rather touching message on Bookface, saying the Sydney gig was really special. Gaawwww!
Shaula was saying earlier how shockingly young he and the other guys seem. I fully agreed though I kinda knew that was the case. And like everybody else there, we were totally fascinated by the harp, watching his fingers on the strings. Me, I kept wondering if the little black circle high up was the mike or whether it was the amplifier next to him picking up the notes. Stratton had the laptop next to him, I could barely see him from the angle we were at, thank christ I already knew he was on guitar and keys. I do love how well their voices blend on the little harmonies Stratton does, really makes for such a great sound.
Likewise, I'm soooooo glad there was an actual drummer rather than loops on the laptop. Brennan didn't do anything fancy I noticed but I'm so grateful for his energy, that I could actually see him and see it happen in front of me as opposed to a laptop flicking out pre-recorded sounds. I was wondering if Shaula knew how energetic Patrick was going to be when he got up from the harp and went to the keyboards. She didn't, it was such a great shift of energry and very much appreciated by the audience, I reckon.
When he announced the last song, there was a protesting moan which I just loved. But they did come back to do two songs. I'm pretty sure the first one was I'm In Your Church At Night. The second was definitely Ivy cos that was such a revelation. No whispery female voice and he was rather amusing when he told us not to be surprised that he doesn't sing cos there are no vocals in the song and it's his favourite off the album. The revelation for me was just how amazingly intricate the song actually is. I don't think I ever fully appreciated that, I tend to get happily lost in the cumulative effect. But to see him do all those melodies on the harp strings ... yep, riveting.
The merch was pretty disappointing. The album, the EP, vinyl of the album. And a tee. I always hate it when band tees are in white. Like hell do I wear white ever! I had been hoping for little badges but no dice. *sigh* Pity. But I took a crappy pic on my phone during Hanging On and immediately put it on Facebook so that's my proof that I wuz thar. Hopefully next time.
I really couldn't believe it was happening, that something so deep that had started so recently could be so quickly rewarded. And rewarded so well.
And I knew, I just knew we'd see them before the gig. And sure enough, when we were sitting in Wok On Inn, talking nineteen to the dozen as we do, they walked past, then doubled back. I took one look --- like I'm not going to look at musicians carting gear --- saw Patrick, very carefully did not fall off my stool and had to tell Shaula twice before she looked. I knew that would happen, I just did. They had Japanese next door. *nods* Poor lads had to sit at the window.
And ooh look, found footage already!
Click to viewYeah, the recorded sound's not great. He sounded a lot better in person.
So so glad I got to see this, their first gig in Sydney.