Oh Mercy, Gossling, Leader Cheetah DJ’s @ Jive Bar (10/04/2011)
Oh Mercy
As the doors to Jive opened, the venue began to
quickly fill up; an impressive turn-out for a cold, Sunday night. Leader
Cheetah kicked things off with a DJ set. I had been hoping for the opportunity
to see them live because I’ve heard good things about them; however, their DJ
set was still enjoyable. It provided something a little different to the usual
Jive music, with a bit more of country rock slant.
Gossling were the first band to hit the stage, with lead singer and pianist Helen Croome backed by drums and a bass. Croome’s voice draws similarities with fellow female Australian vocalists Lisa Mitchell and Julia Stone. I was a bit undecided on whether it was my taste or not. When Croome used the full power of her voice, it was very impressive, and she is an exceptionally talented song-writer. While I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to Gossling, they were an enjoyable support act.
There was a brief break while Leader Cheetah took over the DJ booth again before Oh Mercy made their way onto the stage. They kicked their set off with Keith Street, a piece of perfect Australian pop from their recently released sophomore album Great Barrier Grief. Next they ventured back to their debut album Privileged Woes with Broken Tears. The set combined songs from both albums, naturally focusing more on Great Barrier Grief.
This was the ninth time I’ve seen Oh Mercy perform live and I really think it was the best I’ve ever witnessed them. They always put on a great show, but tonight seemed to be even better than usual. The one big negative were the girls standing behind me who thought it was appropriate to have a conversation during the entire set, even yelling over the quieter songs at times.
The band engaged frequently with the audience between songs, which kept the atmosphere of the gig friendly and laidback. Lead singer Alexander Gow shared the stories behind some of the songs and told us about their encounter with Vin Diesel that day in their van during the drive over which had left them all feeling a bit out of sorts.
During the gig Oh Mercy often altered their songs slightly, showing a different side to them, while still keeping them familiar enough to what fans have grown to love on their albums. There was some instrumental musical chairs and Great Barrier Grief closer Doldrums was given a different perspective when bassist Eliza Lam took over vocal duties.
Despite only having two full albums, Oh Mercy were easily able to fill their hour-long set with only great songs without even playing all of my favourites. This is a testament to the strength of Gow’s song-writing and the ability of the band to put on a captivating show. The set wrapped up with Stay, Please Stay, Lay Everything On Me and a brilliant cover of Leonard Cohen’s Memories.
Chelsea McIntyre
Gossling were the first band to hit the stage, with lead singer and pianist Helen Croome backed by drums and a bass. Croome’s voice draws similarities with fellow female Australian vocalists Lisa Mitchell and Julia Stone. I was a bit undecided on whether it was my taste or not. When Croome used the full power of her voice, it was very impressive, and she is an exceptionally talented song-writer. While I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to Gossling, they were an enjoyable support act.
There was a brief break while Leader Cheetah took over the DJ booth again before Oh Mercy made their way onto the stage. They kicked their set off with Keith Street, a piece of perfect Australian pop from their recently released sophomore album Great Barrier Grief. Next they ventured back to their debut album Privileged Woes with Broken Tears. The set combined songs from both albums, naturally focusing more on Great Barrier Grief.
This was the ninth time I’ve seen Oh Mercy perform live and I really think it was the best I’ve ever witnessed them. They always put on a great show, but tonight seemed to be even better than usual. The one big negative were the girls standing behind me who thought it was appropriate to have a conversation during the entire set, even yelling over the quieter songs at times.
The band engaged frequently with the audience between songs, which kept the atmosphere of the gig friendly and laidback. Lead singer Alexander Gow shared the stories behind some of the songs and told us about their encounter with Vin Diesel that day in their van during the drive over which had left them all feeling a bit out of sorts.
During the gig Oh Mercy often altered their songs slightly, showing a different side to them, while still keeping them familiar enough to what fans have grown to love on their albums. There was some instrumental musical chairs and Great Barrier Grief closer Doldrums was given a different perspective when bassist Eliza Lam took over vocal duties.
Despite only having two full albums, Oh Mercy were easily able to fill their hour-long set with only great songs without even playing all of my favourites. This is a testament to the strength of Gow’s song-writing and the ability of the band to put on a captivating show. The set wrapped up with Stay, Please Stay, Lay Everything On Me and a brilliant cover of Leonard Cohen’s Memories.
Chelsea McIntyre