In what has to be one of the best value-for-money tickets Sydney has seen in quite a long time (this side of “free”), Dr. Dog, Ash Grunwald, Gomez and The Black Keys lit up the Luna Park Big Top in a night not quite unlike the end of a day at Byron’s Blues Festival. Indeed, all but Dr. Dog have been performers at the seminal event, so to those of us who had shared such evenings with the bands, there was definitely a similar resonance.
First up, Dr. Dog, all the way from Philadelphia, but coming on before I had finished my dinner, I unfortunately missed them. There did seem to be quite a hype about them when I entered the venue, however, so their performance must have gone down exceptionally better than it did at the Beach Road Hotel a couple of days prior (read my review here), as I suspected it might. This is an atmosphere far better suited to their style of music.
When I did arrive, however, Ash Grunwald had just taken to the stage. He definitely had quite a few fans in the audience, as he debated whether or not anyone was actually up the front to see him, rather than just waiting for Gomez. “You should be headlining tonight!” one audience member replied. And so, smile in check, Ash continued playing, mixing his set with new and old tracks, and our smile was in check too. It goes without saying that this is a man that can do amazing things and make amazing music with just one guitar … and sometimes a little help from the crowd. Apparently, he can even do more amazing things when a string on his favourite guitar snaps during a set – turning a song into an even rockier number in the process.
While an impressive set, the death of this string forced Ash to change his setlist a bit, including, he admitted, everyone’s favourite “Dolphin Song”. And let’s face it, even after hearing that song a dozen times it remains nothing but great fun. So while I’m sure that left a few disappointed, it did nothing to keep his set from being anything but impressive. Although, I have to agree with the sentiment that most of the crowd seemed to share: his old stuff is of a far better quality – lyrically and otherwise – than his new tracks.
Next up were the band that NEVER tour Australia: Gomez! Sure, people are quick to point this fact out – but common, at least SOME international acts come out here more than once every 3 years! Although, it would be nice if Gomez had backed this up by releasing new material more often than every 2-3 years. It’s been almost 3 years since “How We Operate” was a hit, after all, and they are still ending sets on that number. But surprisingly, that was easily the highlight of the set, leading into the impressive and energetic jams that they’re well known for. The set that preceded “How We Operate” just seemed a bit… lacking energy? They definitely chose some of the slower numbers, with the exception of one or two (including the set opener “Shot Shot”), which was a leading factor, but I think they’re ready to get some new material out there just as much as we’re ready to hear it.
And they did deliver in that respect, playing a new track that I believe was entitled “Ash Street Driver”. While nothing mind-blowing, it wasn’t a bad song, and I look forward to hearing the studio recording, as well as a new album… whenever that might be. So all in all, a great start and finish, just a bit empty in the middle. They could have been a bit tired/hungover too – they weren’t sounding as tight as they normally do, I must admit. Still, they remain one of my favourite live bands, as they should for you!
Finally, at twenty to 11, The Black Keys took to the stage, adorning it with a massive “tiki-man” and dream catcher. From the first note, the fans that had remained in hiding, drinking up the back for the preceding acts, wasted no time pushing their way to the front. And with good reason! No one can rock a crowd quite like these guys – made even more impressive by the fact there are only two of them. The first half of the set was focussed mainly on their older songs, with “Strange Times” thrown in for good measure – a track which I consider to be one of their finest, and along with “Psychotic Girl” in the encore was probably the highlight of the set. Was great to hear quite a bit of material from “Rubber Factory” as well – when I last saw them a few years ago, they weren’t focusing much on that album.
But this is a band that is just getting better and better with age. Their latest LP, Attack and Release, quickly became my favourite of their catalogue, and it finally gained the attention it deserved in the later part of the set, as well as in the encore. And it was definitely worth the wait. As mentioned, “Psychotic Girl” was fantastic, even without the piano… and “Same Old Thing” without the Jazz Flute solo. Still, it would have nice to have seen them bring a bit of the production value from the album into their live performance. Not that they need it, when Dan is such a golden god on that guitar.
This was definitely a night that can be summed up with the following:
AMAZING INCREDIBLE GUITAR WORK LEAVES REVIEWER SALIVATING FOR MORE.
Despite the frequent visits of both of these bands, it had been almost 3 years since I’d had the pleasure of seeing the Keys, and almost 2 since I’d seen Gomez – both experiences being appropriately at Blues Fest in Byron Bay (where I also saw Ash Grunwald for the first time 2 years ago), so it was definitely a joy to see all these guys again. And at least The Black Keys had quite a lot of new material for me to sink my teeth into! I wonder if Gomez’s new stuff will be their best as well? I think they said it would be out later this year, so I guess we don’t have long to wait now?
I seriously ban them from coming back though until they release the thing.
