Tuesday, July 27 2010
The Palace Theatre, Melbourne
On a particularly chilly winter’s eve, Band of Horses nestled up with a sold out audience at The Palace, keeping the crowd warm underneath their blanket of alternative country and rock melodies, alongside Aussie country rocker Mike Noga & The Gentlemen of Fortune.
As a top choice Splendour in the Grass sideshow, Melbournians were able to catch the Band of Horses the night before performing an acoustic set at The Corner, in anticipation for the Splendour antics to follow. The Tuesday night gig at The Palace allowed the Horses to saddle up and rock out in full force, which they seemed fully capable of judging by the success of their recent release, Infinite Arms.
The crowd piled in while Mike Noga and his band, hailing from Western country Victoria, took the stage. Representing the Aussies in the country rock format, Mike and the Gentlemen gracefully performed their ballads of indie rock laced with heavy guitar riffs, catchy accordion, and the prominent sounds of bluesy keys. This is one Australian act that has truly taken on the sounds of early Bob Dylan-esque Southern raspiness mixed with the modern age rock sounds of My Morning Jacket. Noteworthy mention must go to their impressive colour coordination of reds, which seemed to glimmer in the lights as Mike took the audience on a journey through time.
Band of Horses - looking a little less hairy and more clean-cut than the last time I saw them - took the spotlight. The opening song of the set was the classic hit 'Ode To LRC', which started off with only the two guitar players on stage. Lead vocalist Ben Bridwell joked that the rest of the band had departed leaving the two to do the gig on their lonesome. Thankfully, it was only a minute into the song when the rest of the Horses galloped out to join the others and the whole band kicked in with an impressive energy of musical wanderlust. As the harmonized vocals sang out “the world is such a wonderful place,” it was hard not to agree at that very moment.
The quintet moved through their catalogue of three albums past, touching each one respectively. The crowd swayed and sang along, keeping a close eye on Bridwell as he jumped and flew around the stage drinking whiskey and Coke while puffing away on cigarette after cigarette. Beyond the band members’ silhouettes was another bit of visual stimulation as the video backdrop flashed a montage of imagery, taking the audience on a journey down rustic American highways, through desert landscapes, Southern forests, mingled in with festival photos and backstage band antics. The Band of Horses sure have been around and their impressively tight sound and comfort in jamming out song after song was a true display of their flawless energy.
The crowd could not have been more pleased with the song choice, as BoH embraced the room through a sing-a-long with top melodies from Cease To Begin, including 'Island on The Coast' and 'Is There a Ghost'. Ben Tridwell’s vocal work was truly stunning, mimicking each note from the recordings in perfect form. Keyboard player and backup vocalist Ryan Monroe, who shockingly resembles Ed King from Lynyrd Skynyrd, took the spotlight with his track 'Older' from their recent self-produced third album, Infinite Arms. And no BoH set would be complete without the token electric slide and a bit of downhome country folk, which Tridwell masterfully conquered during 'Marry Song'.
As the backdrop displayed birds gliding through the sky, the troupe continued with the melodic guitar riffs of 'Laredo', referencing a town in Texas that perhaps was the destination for a holiday following an emotional heartbreak. It's one of their many songs that displays an honest and upfront lyrical tale.
For the final moments of the BoH’s impressive performance, the band’s guitar tech joined the group on stage to add to the already guitar heavy sounds. The six members joined together for the softer country-esque ballad 'Factory', which was a reminder that the latest album does fall on the soft side by comparison. Fortunately, the night ended with a high note as Tridwell rocked the bass guitar on 'Our Swords' and the band waved their final goodbye, as they hit the road on their way to Splendour. One of the modern rock generation’s most innovative and talented groups, without any signs of pretentiousness or conceit, the Band of Horses truly impress.
by Lisa Ariganello
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