Lamplight, Cheer AdvisoryCouncil, Eva Popov, JordieLane @ The Grace Emily,Adelaide (11/07/09)

Fri 17th Jul, 2009 in Gig Reviews

The Grace Emily has to be the most welcoming pub to walk into on a wintery night. There’s the open fire in the front bar, flickering candlelight, and Adelaide’s finest (and oldest!) candlewax collection. The crowd is always friendly, and it’s a great place to hang with friends. And a great place for bands. And when the people onstage are all friends… well, it’s always nice to watch a set from a bunch of nerds who are totally and irrevocably into their band.

The night started off with Jordie Lane weighing in briefly about the wonders of handheld console music (chiptunes, for the fellow geeks out there!). Which, in our opinion, is ALWAYS a good way to start the evening. This was, of course, before we actually knew who he was, so it was a pleasant surprise to see a geek like us to walk onstage, pick up an acoustic guitar, and play. We don’t normally dig solo performers (sue us), but Jordie had a captivating sound, and a rich, gritty Johnny Cash-like way about him that belied his apparent youth (it’s hard to accurately guess an age when a dude is sporting a beard and a very fine hat). He was a storyteller as well as a songwriter, and a bloody nice guy.

Eva Popov followed with a lovely folksy set. She seemed shy, but was adorable, and by the end of her set was beating us into submission with that strong, soaring voice of hers. It’s hard to categorise solo performers into a particular style, so let’s just say she had a great bunch of songs, and you should totally see her play sometime.

As outstanding as Jordie and Eva’s solo sets were, we can’t help but feel just a little sorry for them because it’s hard to withstand the full force of the 7-member Cheer Advisory Council. What????? I hear you say? SEVEN? On stage at the Grace Emily? Why, yes! On stage, and spilling over the stage, at the Grace Emily. Vocalist/guitarist Ben Revi has been around the traps for a while, most recently in Meanwell College. No disrespect to the magnificent Meanwell, but we feel this is the band he was born to be in. It’s easy to be confident and live large, however, when you’re surrounded by your most talented friends onstage! There’s something about their Retribution Gospel Choir-esque introspection that suits both Ben’s voice and songwriting. The band is huge in every sense, utilising up to five vocalists at one time. I mean, wow! Wall of sound. With delicate interplays of sound within the wall of sound. This is a band to be feared! Not that they’re scary, just impressively talented.

And so on to Lamplight. How to describe the experience? Holyshitballs, Batman! To use terms like ‘tight’ and ‘impressive’ seem lame and pedestrian. Having only seen their recent single A Sun That Will Not Rise on Rage, we had NO idea what we were in for. Pass us our thesaurus: we’re out of superlatives! Magnificent: august, brilliant and elegant, elevated exalted and excellent. We expected Alt-Folk, we didn’t expect to fall in love. The mixture of musical passion and personal mateship onstage was intoxicating, and it was hard to not be swept away with the band’s obvious love for what they were creating, together, with each other, for US. It reminded us of watching The Hold Steady playing a few months ago at Laneway – not the punk-rock, just the love, the vibe, the Constitution, and Mabo (ok, maybe not the last two). We were awash in a sea of goodwill and the feeling that we were sharing something truly special.

We will see this band again. And again. And again. See you there.

(Photo by Ben Revi)