Eskimo Joe @ The Forum, Melbourne (29/09/2011)
For a band with five albums to their name, Eskimo Joe’s Ghost of the Past album tour could have been mistaken as a ‘greatest hits’ performance more than anything else. While the bands style has shifted slightly from album to album, the general result has always remained the same - straightforward rock n’ roll with a finishing Australian touch.
Eskimo Joe are no real strangers to the Forum stage, opening their set with back to back Black Fingernails, Red Wine material Sarah and New York. It’s a somewhat nostalgic way to begin the set, whereas I expected the show to begin with Gave It All Away or the title track Ghosts of the Past.
Having just played the Footy Show Grand Final no more than an hour earlier, Eskimo Joe are on a performance high, ripping into what should be their next single, Echo. Echo was undoubtedly an early highlight in the set; it’s a song that I believe to bridge the gaps between the bands earlier works to the darker material of late.
Stage banter between Stu and Kav was a refreshing way to flow into the middle of the nights set, while Joel seemed content to let the two talk away, introducing new tracks to the audience such as Speeding Car, and title track Ghosts of the Past. Mixed in with Older Than You and personal favourite Foreign Land, it’s clear that Eskimo Joe know what the fans want to hear, with the notable exception of Sweater of course!
Eskimo Joe’s latest two singles have personally failed to do anything for this fan. When We Were Kids and Love Is A Drug feel like weak attempts at polite rock ballads. It’s a shame really, because they gave the set a lackluster finale before leading into From The Sea. The nights encore was a much more exciting ‘official’ finale, beginning with the haunting London Bombs, the trademark Black Fingernails, Red Wine and the worthy conclusion of Sky’s On Fire.
While Eskimo Joe’s career has seen them experience immense success, it should be noted that aspects of Ghosts of the Past fails to reach the potential of some of their earlier work. Regardless, Eskimo Joe are one of the countries hardest working bands, and their gigs are always a pleasure to watch, with tonight being no exception.
Luke Sutton
Check out our photos from the night here!
Eskimo Joe are no real strangers to the Forum stage, opening their set with back to back Black Fingernails, Red Wine material Sarah and New York. It’s a somewhat nostalgic way to begin the set, whereas I expected the show to begin with Gave It All Away or the title track Ghosts of the Past.
Having just played the Footy Show Grand Final no more than an hour earlier, Eskimo Joe are on a performance high, ripping into what should be their next single, Echo. Echo was undoubtedly an early highlight in the set; it’s a song that I believe to bridge the gaps between the bands earlier works to the darker material of late.
Stage banter between Stu and Kav was a refreshing way to flow into the middle of the nights set, while Joel seemed content to let the two talk away, introducing new tracks to the audience such as Speeding Car, and title track Ghosts of the Past. Mixed in with Older Than You and personal favourite Foreign Land, it’s clear that Eskimo Joe know what the fans want to hear, with the notable exception of Sweater of course!
Eskimo Joe’s latest two singles have personally failed to do anything for this fan. When We Were Kids and Love Is A Drug feel like weak attempts at polite rock ballads. It’s a shame really, because they gave the set a lackluster finale before leading into From The Sea. The nights encore was a much more exciting ‘official’ finale, beginning with the haunting London Bombs, the trademark Black Fingernails, Red Wine and the worthy conclusion of Sky’s On Fire.
While Eskimo Joe’s career has seen them experience immense success, it should be noted that aspects of Ghosts of the Past fails to reach the potential of some of their earlier work. Regardless, Eskimo Joe are one of the countries hardest working bands, and their gigs are always a pleasure to watch, with tonight being no exception.
Luke Sutton
Check out our photos from the night here!