It is safe to say that you are almost guaranteed to come away from an Okkervil River gig with a huge smile on your face, if only for the fact that they have to be one of the most enthusiastic bands around. Having toured our lands with regularity in the past few years, it has been easy to get used to the Okkervil River stagecraft; Will Sheff’s fervour and gusto, drummer Travis Nelsen’s excited and animated style, and the rest of the band’s mild demeanours. Yet, as usual, the band’s diverse personalities still manage to put on a thoroughly entertaining show resulting in the aforementioned grin.

Playing a good mix of material from their most recent release The Stand Ins, as well as a lot of their older repertoire, Okkervil River put on a show that entertained from start to finish. It is difficult to do a review of the band without going into a large spiel about Will Sheff and his stage presence, but the fact remains that when Okkervil River perform, no matter what the other members seem to be doing, Sheff is always the centre of attention; he just puts so much effort into each and every performance.

If I loved doing my job as much as Will Sheff seems to, I think I would die a very fulfilled and happy man. He just loves what he is doing, something that comes across with each and every song, which are dominated by the passion that seems to permeate throughout his personality. It was enjoyable to watch how much energy Sheff was putting into each song, for throughout the show, he seemed to gradually lose a piece of clothing. He started the gig with a full suit and tie, eventually losing, in order, his tie, jacket and shirt, eventually performing the encore in only his pants and a t-shirt that was obviously hidden under his previous layers.

Unlike Sheff, who was immediately enthusiastic, the crowd took quite some time to warm up to the performance. Despite the playing of favourites like Plus Ones and Black, the crowd were displaying little energy and little receptiveness for the band. With Black Sheep Boy’s A Stone, a song largely performed solely by Sheff, the crowd finally stopped talking, standing transfixed as the band finally captured their attention, something they did not lose for the rest of the performance. From that point on, every song was met with a raucous crowd response, with highlights including Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe, Unless It’s Kicks, West Falls and For Real, a song that never seems to sound as good as the raw and chilling original. Playing two encores, the band once again provided their Melbourne audience with everything they could have hoped for going into the night.

With local band The Lucksmiths, who are incidentally on the cusp of a break-up, providing enjoyable support, it turned out to be a great night. This should really come as little surprise considering that Okkervil River, and specifically Will Sheff, always provide a highly entertaining show that leaves you looking forward to the next time they will visit our shores.