__Bright Eyes, Kevin Devine, Darren Hanlon @ The Hi-Fi, Brisbane (17/11/11)
_
For a band with such a massive cult following and back
catalogue like Bright Eyes to be
playing such an intimate venue as the Hi-Fi in Brisbane was a rare treat. And
with such impressive support acts, I was really looking forward to Brisbane’s
only Harvest Festival sideshow.
I arrived at 8pm, walked up the stairs and was greeted with the opening notes from Darren Hanlon. A singer-songwriter from Gympie, Darren has already acquired quite a following in the local indie folk market. He played a fun and engaging 30 minute set, playing requests from the crowd and providing lots of his constantly witty banter. The highlights of the set came from the classic songs All these Things and Happiness is a Chemical, which provided the perfect start to the night.
A late inclusion on the bill for this show, Brooklyn based songwriter Kevin Devine continued the high standard of musicality with a charming and at times emotional performance that featured a wide range of material from his extensive career. With just and acoustic guitar and his powerful and moving voice, Devine engrossed the almost capacity crowd with highlights such as Another Bag of Bones. Using his voice to great effect, he moved away from the microphone to shout the lyrics to the audience during one song and showcased what a commanding and passionate performer. Often flowing from one song to the next with no breaks, Devine finished with a glorious rendition of Brother’s Blood before exiting the stage.
After a short changeover, Bright Eyes strolled onto the stage, and with minimal fuss, opened with crowd favourite Four Winds. Immediately, the energy of the crowd went through the roof, and with the full band not touring Australia since 2005, punters had a right to be excited. Singer and bandleader Conor Oberst’s voice was mesmerising and the rest of the seven piece, including two drummers, were the perfect companions.
Playing through a full two hours+ was a pleasant surprise, but probably a necessary move from a band with such a massive back catalogue to contend with. Oberst was a playful mode, bouncing around the stage and spinning around while playing a passage on his acoustic guitar more than once. But that’s not to say the rest of the band were any less engaging. Mike Mogis played his electric guitar with vigour and passion and keyboardist/trumpeter Nate Walcott was one of the standouts of the night with his brass solos adding another layer to the band.
Love I Don’t Have to Love was even more impressive live than on record with its looping keyboard and Oberst’s heartfelt voice bringing it to life in dramatic fashion. The quirky Arc of Time (Time Code) showed off another side to the band and I Believe in Symmetry was more fantastic live than I could’ve imagined. Cartoon Blues has the band stop during the ferocious climax in the chorus for a dramatic extended pause in which Oberst goes to take a drink, then picks up the song again. The brooding Ladder Song, one of five tracks played from new album The Peoples Key, closes the main set and sees a solo Oberst hunched over his piano and in deep concentration, almost as if he is completely unaware of the shouts from the crowd in front of him.
Coming back to the stage to the scream of delight from the audience, the band run through cult classic Roads to Joy. Introducing the rest of his band like a professional boxing announcer, Oberst then leads Bright Eyes through The Peoples Key closer One for You, One for Me which induces a mass sing-along. It’s a joyful ending to a wonderful night of musicianship and talent, which I’m sure most of the crowd wouldn’t have minded continuing for another two hours. Let us hope that Oberst and the rest of the band continue to dazzle us with more of the same for many years to come.
Sebastian Betten
I arrived at 8pm, walked up the stairs and was greeted with the opening notes from Darren Hanlon. A singer-songwriter from Gympie, Darren has already acquired quite a following in the local indie folk market. He played a fun and engaging 30 minute set, playing requests from the crowd and providing lots of his constantly witty banter. The highlights of the set came from the classic songs All these Things and Happiness is a Chemical, which provided the perfect start to the night.
A late inclusion on the bill for this show, Brooklyn based songwriter Kevin Devine continued the high standard of musicality with a charming and at times emotional performance that featured a wide range of material from his extensive career. With just and acoustic guitar and his powerful and moving voice, Devine engrossed the almost capacity crowd with highlights such as Another Bag of Bones. Using his voice to great effect, he moved away from the microphone to shout the lyrics to the audience during one song and showcased what a commanding and passionate performer. Often flowing from one song to the next with no breaks, Devine finished with a glorious rendition of Brother’s Blood before exiting the stage.
After a short changeover, Bright Eyes strolled onto the stage, and with minimal fuss, opened with crowd favourite Four Winds. Immediately, the energy of the crowd went through the roof, and with the full band not touring Australia since 2005, punters had a right to be excited. Singer and bandleader Conor Oberst’s voice was mesmerising and the rest of the seven piece, including two drummers, were the perfect companions.
Playing through a full two hours+ was a pleasant surprise, but probably a necessary move from a band with such a massive back catalogue to contend with. Oberst was a playful mode, bouncing around the stage and spinning around while playing a passage on his acoustic guitar more than once. But that’s not to say the rest of the band were any less engaging. Mike Mogis played his electric guitar with vigour and passion and keyboardist/trumpeter Nate Walcott was one of the standouts of the night with his brass solos adding another layer to the band.
Love I Don’t Have to Love was even more impressive live than on record with its looping keyboard and Oberst’s heartfelt voice bringing it to life in dramatic fashion. The quirky Arc of Time (Time Code) showed off another side to the band and I Believe in Symmetry was more fantastic live than I could’ve imagined. Cartoon Blues has the band stop during the ferocious climax in the chorus for a dramatic extended pause in which Oberst goes to take a drink, then picks up the song again. The brooding Ladder Song, one of five tracks played from new album The Peoples Key, closes the main set and sees a solo Oberst hunched over his piano and in deep concentration, almost as if he is completely unaware of the shouts from the crowd in front of him.
Coming back to the stage to the scream of delight from the audience, the band run through cult classic Roads to Joy. Introducing the rest of his band like a professional boxing announcer, Oberst then leads Bright Eyes through The Peoples Key closer One for You, One for Me which induces a mass sing-along. It’s a joyful ending to a wonderful night of musicianship and talent, which I’m sure most of the crowd wouldn’t have minded continuing for another two hours. Let us hope that Oberst and the rest of the band continue to dazzle us with more of the same for many years to come.
Sebastian Betten