Bon Iver @ Forum Theatre,Melbourne (19/01/09)

Tue 27th Jan, 2009 in Gig Reviews

The man has finally arrived to our shores after completely mesmerising most Oz folk with his cut-through, heartbreaker recording of 2008; For Emma, Forever Ago. Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver hits the Forum Theatre stage and seats his tour-weary arse at the piano. We find the Wisconsin woodsman all dishevelled, with a mop of receding locks and heavy beard, he looked rather spent and told us as much; but early on ol’ Bonnie boy let us in on a secret remedy that would guarantee that the band kept motivated throughout the performance.

“We found this drink, it’s like the bands drink, to keep us going,” Vernon admits in a croaky, deep voice. “Take Irish Whiskey and add Red Bull! We call it Yahtzee.”

Giving us a real treat with his new EP, Blood Bank, Vernon and band, including multi-instrumentalists, Mike Noyce and Sean Carey, a violinist, and another drummer/bass player, smashed their sound through the Forum with layered music and vocal harmonies to create an atmosphere that quite literally took my breath away at certain stages.

Beach Baby, Babys and Woods all taken from Blood Bank provide a taste of the 2009 Bon Iver model and it’s dare I say it; even more intense, provocative, electric, amazing – all tired adjectives – but all too apt in describing the magic Vernon creates with his songs. Blood Bank is an epic tune, growing from a gorgeous little cub into this ferocious, snarling beast of a thing that has us out on the edge of our seats, staring deep into the heart of darkness. It’s inspiring to say the least.

Simple Man, a Graham Nash cover by Mike Noyce on guitar and fragile voice, fused with a weeping violin as Vernon stood back and watched. Examining the piece like a tutor critiques the work of his student. As it happens, Vernon was Noyce’s guitar tutor when Noyce was in high school and Vernon attended college in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Watching like a hawk, Vernon waits for his cue then adds his trademark falsetto love, and it’s oh so good.

One of the keys to the band performance was the reckless abandon in which the Bon Iver band played out the set. The interpretation of material from For Emma, Forever Ago was unique but easily recognizable; no mean feat for any artist. Vernon’s use of guitars, piano, vocal lead and harmonies, together with dual drumming and delicate guitar framing by Noyce made hairs stand up on backs of necks, and goose pimples rise almost every few minutes or so.

Ploughing through all the hits from his debut classic – yep, they’re all hits, and they’re all classics, Vernon perfects Flume, whilst Skinny Love and Blindsided incorporated dual percussion to full effect, shooting the songs into the next stratosphere. Giving us a little crowd interaction time on The Wolves, Vernon has us burst into the ‘What might have been lost’ part of the track. The room sound takes off, building up to Vernon’s huge hollering and percussive power towards the songs end that is giving me even more goose bumps just thinking about it.

Re: Stacks is presented as a solo piece by an electric guitar wielding Vernon and encapsulates everything that defines the Bon Iver sound. A massive, angelic voice lashed with fragility and splashes of hope and indie folk genius that we’ve come to love from a special kind of musician. For Emma is the encore and it’s sublime. The sentiment is captured just right and we all erupt as the band leave the stage; all knowing that tonight we really did witness some kind of wonderful.