Hamer Hall, Southbank,
Melbourne
‘It’s lovely to be in a room like this, all together with each other,”
says Real Estate singer and guitarist Martin Courtney gently, in a way that
sets the scene for the careful subtleties tonight’s music will expound. Songs
about floating on inner tubes and ‘careless lifestyles’ were written to be
played on days like today and heard in rooms like this one. Tonight’s show is
almost like watching an album, the sound is so immaculate, the band’s playing
so precise, and the music so sharp. It’s rare to see restraint so consistently
used in music but both of tonight’s bands are experts at it. Beach Comber,
Out of Tune, Green Aisles and It’s Real all sound like they’re
presented to us on velvet, their instrumental sections full of chiming guitars
and entwining melodies, like a less adventurous Feelies. Closing with the
trance-like rock of All the Same and its protracted, slowing conclusion,
the five-piece and their most gentle of surf-rock leave the stage with broad
smiles, as the audience move to mingle in the well-upholstered halls outside.Thursday, February 14, 2013
Live Review: KINGS OF CONVENIENCE, REAL ESTATE
As Kings of Convenience take to the stage, bringing the crowd to its
feet and sending reviewers to online thesauri in an effort to find synonyms for
‘lovely’, the grinning faces of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe exude
confidence and instantly make everyone glad they came. Opening with the
pin-drop hush of My Ship Isn’t Pretty,
Bøe’s nylon string thrumming is so delicate, their voices so warm and accents
so strong they could provide Portlandia with a season’s worth of new material. Second to Numb, Love is no Big Truth and
their early classic I Don’t Know What I
Can Save You From highlight their harmonies before they reveal the real
reason Real Estate were chosen as supports: ‘They are from Bergen, New Jersey,’
explains Øye slowly, ‘we are from Bergen, Norway. We thought we should find out
what destiny was trying to tell us.’ 24/25
and Mrs. Cold from their most recent
album Declaration of Dependence are
sparkling mid-set highlights, though older songs Failure and Homesick gets
the biggest cheers of recognition. Unexpectedly for many, a three-piece band
with equally clean and clear intent behind ever note they play is introduced
and things get very funky very quickly.
Any chance to allow Erlend Øye to dance should be welcomed with open
arms, and so it is that Misread and I’d Rather Dance With You are played,
and Øye gets very Dad-like with his dance moves. The fact he’s already six-foot
something and skinny helps this rampant nerdiness and bringing equally
exuberant audience members up to dance only accentuates this. Pausing Boat Behind to kill the house lights and
encourage us all to make jungle noises for some strange reason only shows how
much affection he’s held in. Freedom and
It’s Owner is the first major deviation we’ve seen from the fantastic set
they played at Laneway Festival. Closing with the gorgeous Parallel Lines everyone leaves sharing smiles and a feeling little
warmer inside.
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