WHO: GIVERS (US), Portugal, The Man (US), Guineafowl (SYD)
WHERE: The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
WHEN: Thursday, February 9, 2012.
There are moments you know will never be erased from your mind, and in the best way possible. You might know it in the moment itself, or later, upon reflection. Thursday night's incredible three-band lineup at The Corner Hotel, in Melbourne, was a show that was incredible in the instant and life-affirming after the matter. The magical combination of Sydney's Guineafowl, GIVERS and Portugal, The Man was one of the best shows I've ever seen.
With three acts on the bill, and two of those as headliners, Guineafowl were only allocated half an hour to woo the crowd in. Not surprisingly, though, they charmed the pants off us within about five seconds of entering the stage. Front man, Sam Yeldham has to be one of the most endearingly enthusiastic band leaders around. He bopped and jumped like nobody's business through the entire set, and only settled down when the group was sprung with a request for one more song. They closed their set with an unexpected cover of The Cure's “Close To Me”. Granted, they weren't prepared for it, but their cover didn't do the song justice. Nevertheless, their show was tight and punchy and I'm still singing their songs a day later.
As a co-headliner tour, Portugal, The Man took their turn on Thursday night to play the middle spot. The four-piece (seemingly missing one member, replaced by two ring-ins) played an impassioned hour-long set, complete with amazing highs, sensitive lows and a whole lot of heart. The group, from Alaska-via-Portland, opened and closed the set with songs off their latest album, In The Mountain, In The Cloud, and filled out the rest with a range of songs from their impressive six-album catalogue. As a reviewer, I was at the show for all the bands, but as a fan, I was there for GIVERS. However, I was completely taken with Portugal, The Man, from the opening strains of "So American", to the last breaths of "Got It All". While most of their songs transformed from one genre to another, rising, falling, swelling and disappearing into nothing, there was a constant soulfulness and genuine energy about them that was mesmerizing and intriguing. There were moments of pure, '70s rock; heavy, grungy and rough, and there were times when the band got lost in a funky, urban soul groove. Amongst all of this, though, they still kept their indie-rock roots, and held onto the audience. A request from the crowd to play "Senseless" was taken seriously by frontman John Baldwin Gourley, but thankfully the audience was respectful enough to let the band call the shots for the remainder of the set. Leaving the stage, I do believe Portugal, The Man both melted and won a number of hearts at The Corner Hotel, expressing their unending gratitude to Australian audiences and promising to be back soon.
Where Portugal, The Man poured their energy into a serious kind of emotive enthusiasm, GIVERS worked out every last ounce of theirs in putting on an incredibly lively, fun and sunny show. It is unfortunately rare to see a woman hold her own with the boys, and play her instruments with the same flair, but singer/ukulele player/percussionist Tiffany Lamson was a highlight of the GIVERS set. The band was almost scarily enthusiastic, probably owing to how new they are to the whole scene. Having only released their debut album last year, there was a fresh, untested vibe about them that was infectious but also meant their musicality was rusty at times. Unlike some bands that simply perform their songs as you would hear them recorded, GIVERS gave each track a different spin, either through extra instrumentation or an extended intro, at times borrowing riffs from other songs. Their crowd interaction was funny and awkward, but they were cheery and clearly enjoying every second of being on stage.To the detriment of the show's overall impact, the sound quality, particularly on vocals, was scratchy and almost deafening at points. GIVERS put on a loud, brash show and the sound desk needed to accommodate that more. They closed the set with "Up, Up Up,", but were called back for an encore, playing a new track showing a sign of darker tunes to come.
With their penchant for playing with the structure of a song and letting it grow in tangential directions, and their unbridled enthusiasm, it was clear why GIVERS had been paired with Portugal, The Man for the tour. Both bands had only just would up their Laneway festival dates but there was no sign of them slowing; theirs will go down in history as one of the most energetic and passionate live shows.
Yolande Schefe - AAA Backstage
