White Rabbits, Kid Sam @ TheCorner, Melbourne (06/01/2010)

Fri 8th Jan, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Off the back of what was probably the top set of the Falls Festival in Lorne, New York’s White Rabbits hit the Corner Hotel for the first ever Melbourne show. Given the quality of their festival performance, there were certainly high expectations for the band’s set, which by its end were most definitely met, but not necessarily exceeded given their failure to give Falls-goers more than the hour they’d already experienced.

Warming the stage with one third of the headliner’s numbers was Melbourne duo Kid Sam, who were performing off the back of their own Falls successes (and quipped early about how lucky people were not to be at Pyramid). Having one of last year’s finest releases up their sleeve was a handy thing and the pair drew a decent and polite crowd for their set.

Drifting away from recorded forms, as Kid Sam often do in their live shows, singer Kieran Ryan and drummer Kishore Ryan often dipped into experimental territory, jamming about seemingly as if in their own world, far from the calming tones of Kieran’s voice. Timing is certainly in their favour though, and they managed to steer away from crossing the border of tediousness more than once. Tidbits of ingenuity also made their set more interesting, with Kishore knocking about on an actual pot, or scratching the cymbal with the tip of his stick for some eerie effects.

A bass-heavy drone filled the room as the White Rabbits appeared, seated in the tighter quarters of the Corner stage; a factor that would only amplify their energy soon after. The subtlety introduced the voices of guitarist Gregory Roberts and pianist Stephen Patterson, whose vocals seamlessly switched to and fro on opening track Foxhunting. As the song built, so did the character of every band member, with all six men beginning to translate the height of the song with their individual performances.

While We Go Dancing directly followed, and began a whole new style of delight, with Patterson eager to entertain and percussionist Matt Clark playing as fervently as possible – moving from tom drums up back, to tambourine about the stage and then joining in on keys. Clark pretty much had the liveliness of his five band mates combined, which made him a bloody fun guy to watch. Adding to the sights of the show were the strings of light globes draped over the ceiling – somewhat drawing on the Percussion Gun video and certainly an effective simplicity.

The set list was a good dose of both White Rabbits albums. It had plenty of numbers to shake your head to (band and audience alike), such as Rudie Fails, which was an instant pleaser. Likewise, older track Kid on My Shoulders had the band themselves all head banging around on stage before finishing off with incredible three part vocals, each delivering the poignant lyric: “We held out tongues throughout it, one day we’ll laugh about it”. The Plot was a solid and exciting performance, too, with Roberts exerting himself on the “whoa whoa” choruses.

Whilst on one hand the band thrives on vigorous numbers, there was subtlety in the set as well, such as during the subdued Company I Keep – in which the drone returned whilst Patterson took to his guitar – and the down tempo Company I Keep. In amongst the songs, the band did their best to have the crowd warm to them even more by announcing the day’s cricket results, a fact they were more than confused about themselves.

Some brain-shaking percussion and a wild performance of Percussion Gun “rounded things out” for the White Rabbits, but as they headed off they hardly looked as though they were done. Of course they returned, and the set’s standout track and closer ensued: The Salesman. As Patterson stood, mic in hand, singing “Just recognise me,” it was impossible to deny such a request. Meanwhile, drummer Jamie Levinson bashed his kit, wide-mouthed the entire song – an indication that the track was as powerful a note as any to finish on.

In their first ever trip down under, White Rabbits certainly made their shows worth the wait. Whilst a longer set might have been desirable, the power of what was delivered pretty much excused the Americans. One thing’s for sure, the next time they’re here you don’t want to miss out.