Though you tend to regret it the next morning, the joy of ending your weekend with a stand out concert never goes unwelcomed. This past Sunday night, Sydneysiders were treated to a stellar triple bill at the Oxford Art Factory featuring Sydney’s OAF residents The Falls, Brisbane’s The Trouble With Templeton (Thomas Calder performing solo as he often does tonight) and Iceland’s highly acclaimed folk ensemble Of Monsters and Men.
Having missed The Falls (who helm the weekly Folk Club at the OAF), I arrived just in time to see Thomas Calder on the guitar for a solo performance as The Trouble with Templeton. Tom’s talent is starting to get very much noticed if this support slot is anything to go by, and it’s in moments like these that he’s able to show an audience why he’s deserving of such notice. With a voice that heralds reminders of David Gray, James Blunt, Damian Rice and Glen Hansard, the Brisbane based performer wears such influences and comparisons well, though it’s clear he’s not trying to be anyone but himself. He’s a talent as genuine as they come; a stand out voice and an impressive songwriter to boot.
Hard at work on new material, the majority of the set strayed towards unknown tracks that were notably impressive, with “Six Months in Cast” a possible single. “I Wrote a Novel” was another highlight; so catchy and sweet. “Bleeders” ended the set, from the record of the same name, yet another reminder that this is very much an artist to watch.
Speaking of artists to watch, the world been paying close attention to the Icelandic music scene ever since Bjork broke the international market, and the latest talents to have the world take notice are Of Monsters and Men, who, following a stunning debut record found in My Head is an Animal and breakthrough performances at events like SXSW, have spread through the blogosphere like wildfire. And deservedly so. Tonight was Sydney’s turn to learn what all the fuss was about: and bringing the entire band along for the ride, they did not disappoint, playing their debut record in full.
With accordion, trumpets, keys and more alongside the standard attire, the six piece brought up reminders of Arcade Fire as members switched between instruments with ease to make their big sound work on the Oxford Art Factory stage. It’s beyond impressive what the ban have pulled out with their debut record. The orchestrations are beautiful and though the lyrics are simple, with subjects of animals, love and sleeping all day, that only makes them all the more delightful to sing along to. Add in the vocal interplay between Nanna and Ragnar which separates them from the other artists following in the recent succes of Mumford and Sons, and you have yourself one of the hottest bands on the planet right about now.
A brief view into their future was found in their three song encore in a song called “Beneath My Bed”, which I have to say is encouraging indeed. The songwriting seemed more developed and the sound bigger and more powerful. It’s important they take their music to that next level as they move forward, to avoid being labelled too “samey”, and this new track seems to be moving in the right direction. With other highlights from their debut record including “Lakehouse”, “Little Talks”, the stunning “From Finner” and the joyous “Tellow Light” closing the night out, I doubt any fans of the record will have left disappointed. And with the band as adorable as you get, hugging each other and jumping around with massive smiles on their faces, it was impossible not to get caught up in it. This was a night where grins from ear to ear were seen across the entire room, and rightly so. My only criticism of the night is that a brief tease of a trumpet solo by Árni Guðjónsson showed a band who could definitely jam, but we didn’t get much of that tonight. Here’s hoping for more of that next time. And next time shouldn’t be far off…
Given the brief nature of the tour and the fact Chugg Entertainment were behind it, I’d be surprised if we didn’t see the band back early next year for Laneway. They did suggest they’d be back soon as they left the stage. Either way, if you missed them in their brief East Coast jaunt, make sure you don’t make the same mistake the next time they hit our shores.
SETLIST:
Dirty Paws
From Finner
Slow and Steady
Mountain Sound
Your Bones
Love Love Love
King and Lionheart
Lakehouse
Little Talks
Six Weeks
—
Sloom
Beneath my Bed
Yellow light
