Bon Iver @ Fly By Night(15/1/09)

Tue 20th Jan, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Were you there? Find yourself in Tim Davis’ Gallery

With one of the most amazing and emotive albums of 2008, it was no wonder Bon Iver’s (pronounced Bon – Heevar) first ever Australian show sold out more than a month before. Recorded in a log cabin in Wisconsin, its myth and heartbreak touched everyone who listened to it and made it a frequent addition to many best of lists. Unfortunately for many, desperate last minute ticket searches through friends and on EBay turned out mostly fruitless as tonight’s tickets were the hottest in town. The air temperature was equally as warm and it was a gloriously balmy evening at the Fly By, with many getting in early to reserve their seat.

That’s right, instead of the usual standup and drink/dance set up, the Fly By was packed with seats for all in attendance and it created quite a buzz amongst all in attendance. Doing his best to make the most of the occasion, opener Joe Bludge was singing and playing his heart out to a rather unfortunately uninterested crowd. Perhaps his songs were a little upbeat and the tempo too quick, but it was clearly evident who the crowd was here to see.

After the conclusion of Bludge’s set, stage preparation for tonight’s headliner started and the anticipation was electric as it was unclear when the stage was finished, how many musicians would be taking the stage. Was it simply going to be a man and a guitar? Would there be other musicians? Arriving to a minimum of fuss, the four-piece Bon Iver was introduced by creator Justin Vernon to ecstatic applause before the room went deathly silent when the opening chords of Flume rang out across the beautiful acoustics of the Fly By. The crowd silence was simply amazing, not a single word other than the lyrics to the fantastic opener from For Emma, Forever Ago, were heard for the duration of the song. It was spellbinding. After more applause when the track finished, they followed it up with the album’s next track, Lump Sum, a stirring number with an insistent kick drum beat and soaring atmospheric guitars. Some train-like snares shimmered through the mix as all four musicians sang in perfect harmony. No need for vocal looping here, as the three backups cooed behind the incredible Vernon. They were either very good singers and been selected to perfectly compliment Vernon, or Vernon’s voice simply shines so high, it didn’t really matter who sang with him. Either way, the vocals were stunning and the instrumentation also had been choreographed perfectly to fill out the soundscape of the recorded versions but keeping their understated minimal nature intact.

After a few awkward lines with the crowd, the vocal harmonies of Creature Fear crept out of the speakers before the huge breakdown that gave all the instrument-hopping band members a chance to rock out, the first of many times throughout the night. The balance from light to heavy was perfect and the rhythm was never lost. With the new Blood Bank EP only released a matter of days after the gig, many in attendance had not heard new track Beach Baby when Vernon introduced it as a warmer side to his songwriting. Following it up with the similarly upbeat but unrelated Babys which is the first song written with piano sections, one can only assume it is Vernon starting to spread his wings. There is a moment where things threaten to get a little cheesy, but they come kicking back with echoes of Fleetwood Mac and fellow folk-poppers Fleet Foxes.

Skinny Love is next with the capacity crowd clearly excited to here Iver’s most well-known track. Perhaps the reason that their music resonates so much with listeners is emotion. Any old Chris Martin can sing about emotion, but Bon Iver’s music simply transmits emotion like tidal waves across the enraptured crowd. Next is another new one, title track from the new EP that was written about meeting a special someone for the first time at a blood bank. At the track’s conclusion, his band members leave him and Vernon nervously jokes with the crowd before starting Re: Stacks, a song so steeped in heartbreak, there would have been more than one moist eye in the room. His comrades rejoin him and invite the crowd to singalong to the chorus of The Wolves (Act I & II). – œWhat might’ve been lost, what might’ve been lost…’ Indeed, what might’ve been lost if this album hadn’t been released or Bon Iver hadn’t made it to Perth? There wouldn’t have been the standing ovation when they departed the stage, or the fantastic encore of LP title track For Emma, with its slide guitar twangs and railroad rhythms.

After a second standing ovation, the group departed to leave all in attendance amazed at the show they had seen. It was barely an hour but could have gone on all night, so entranced was the crowd. It was a gig that you wish your friends could have come to, that everyone who’d wanted to come could have, but then it wouldn’t have been the same, and that would be something you couldn’t give up. A truly special gig and an early contender for show of the year.

Were you there? Find yourself in Tim Davis’ Gallery