In their first Sydney concert since their much lauded Opera House headline gig of 2012, First Aid Kit have returned to Australia, fresh off the release of their new LP Stay Gold, here as part of the Splendour in the Grass contingency. Tonight’s performance at the Metro Theatre may be a bit of a step down from their previous habitat, but the sold out crowd was no less respectful and the concert no less memorable. Well, maybe it is hard to beat a gig at the Opera House, but I digress…
The Swedish indie folk duo emerged in gold sequins against a golden backdrop, like something out of the film Goldfinger, accompanied by simple but elegant lighting and opening ever appropriately with “Stay Gold”, the title track off their new record. Accompanying the duo, and rounding out their sound, were two other instrumentalists; one on the drums and the other jumping impressively between the pedal steel, electric guitar and mandolin – not to mention the occasional backing vocals. Though the girls commanded on the keys and acoustic, the latter’s instrumentation was a standout throughout, especially in their brilliant cover of Bob Dylan’s “One More Cup Of Coffee”.”
They also snuck in their cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “America” – a mainstay of their set and a track which appeared in the very same position (opening a three song encore) at the Opera House. Backtracking a bit now, the rollicking “King of the World” came early in a set that saw the girls jumping between new and old, with their latest record getting plenty of attention. And deservedly so – fans are loving the album, and as (relative) frequent visitors to our shores, they can certainly get away with playing the new stuff. They do attract fans who would happily listen to them whistle the alphabet in silenced awe, however, which certainly helps.
Speaking of silenced awe, few moments come better described than when the girls were rid of their backing men and their microphones, performing “Ghost Town” sans electricity. Just them and Klara’s acoustic guitar. Following on from the similarly beautiful “Cedar Lane”, it was a high point in the set, which even saw them change the line “New York window view” to “Sydney window view”, as they sported an adorable mutual grin, much to our amusement. Without the microphones – and with the Metro Theatre crowd at its most silent – those harmonies sounded better than ever, and honestly we would have been happy if they’d continued the rest of the set just like it!
But they wasted no time in getting back into the action, with “My Silver Lining” bringing the energy right back up, ahead of the track the girls rock out in, “The Lion’s Roar”, the one they dance in, “Heaven Knows” and the somewhat tribal one in “Wolf”. The night went on to close with a big singalong in the now iconic “Emmylou”.
Especially in a track like “Emmylou”, there’s something so classic about their music, but their take on the genre somehow feels fresh all the same. Maybe there’s just a joy in watching two beautiful young women enchant a crowd with charm, confidence and cheesy banter. Maybe it’s just great music. Something tells me it’s a little bit of column a and a little bit of column b. And something tells me I’ll keep seeing them every time they return to our shores.
SETLIST
Stay Gold
Blue
King of the World
Waitress Song
Shattered & Hollow
In The Hearts of Men
Cedar Lane
Ghost Town (Unplugged)
My Silver Lining
One More Cup Of Coffee (Bob Dylan Cover)
The Lion’s Roar
Heaven Knows
Wolf
Encore:
America (Simon & Garfunkel Cover)
Master Pretender
Emmylou
First Aid Kit were supported by New Zealand’s Marlon Williams, who’s currently touring Australia with Melody Pool. He’s a fine emerging talent indeed, who commanded the respectful crowd with little more than his voice and his guitar.
First Aid Kit’s Australian tour continues tomorrow with two nights at The Hi-Fi in Melbourne, before heading back overseas. Their latest record Stay Gold is in stores now!
