Spoon, Crayon Fields @Billboard The Venue, Melbourne(30/04/2010)

Mon 3rd May, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Take a look at some of the photos from the night

With a string of successful appearances made throughout the summer of 2008 – most notably their own headline shows and surprise support slots alongside the Arcade Fire – it’s no wonder Spoon have made their way over here again. This time they would be armed with songs from their follow-up to the excellent Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga in the typically minimalist Transference, fans’ anticipation flourishing in its release. The band would experience an upgrade from the Corner to Billboard this time around and all looked as though they were set to impress once more.

First up were local lads Crayon Fields. As initial impressions go, they’re a band that pleases almost instantly. They boast impressive cohesion, almost impeccable collaboration assisted by well-rehearsed compositions and harmonies. But let’s not get carried away. Whilst these are all admirable qualities, and compliments, certainly, they will only take you so far. Everything Crayon Fields do is crafted well and shows plenty of polish, but all too often, their music fails to excite. For all of their inoffensive indie-rock, they border on the disposable. There was a focus upon lyrical whimsy, and a limp-wristed presence displayed throughout that only reassured the beige tone of their set. It’s frustrating, because you know they could be huge, if only they’d apply their talent more effectively. A glass ceiling will await them unless they bring something truly amazing to the table – that is, that certain something that breaks the mould and at once ignites the senses of the common crowd. The final track of the set All The Pleasures Of The World did little to break a pattern that the Billboard crowd had grown weary of, and it was clear that they had turned their attention to the headline act songs ago.

Spoon opened with Before Destruction from their latest LP; Brit Daniel on acoustic guitar with his band forming a burning, slow building atmosphere in accompaniment. Daniel’s voice is without doubt a highlight of any Spoon show; his distinctly coarse, raspy delivery of every syllable twice as affecting live. Feedback faded into Small Stakes before the recent Rhythym And Soul brought fans forward in time once more.

They wield their instruments superbly, the stunning precision a staple of the set. If one needed a reason why the Texans stand tall atop a mountain of indie rock outfits, they would only need to witness their act in motion. A flurry of drum strikes preceded a playful, bouncing bass riff: it was The Underdog, among the most popular songs of the night. Whilst it sorely lacked the brass section featured in the studio recording (as well as last tour), piano was implemented as a passable substitution. Stay Don’t Go morphed into Don’t U Eva which, whilst an impressive transition, effectively summed up one talking point of the evening.

Over an hour of Spoon can become hugely monotonous for the casual listener. Their shows inadvertently highlight just how consistent their sound has been over the course of their career, spanning seven albums. There’s a formula to be noticed almost immediately. Spoon are infamously minimalist, specializing in a back to basics approach, and they are rightly appreciated in that respect. However, their live show has the potential to suffer as a result. Needless mid-song digressions into uneventful jams and extended bridges only exacerbated the issue further.

Nevertheless, Spoon delivered an excellent show for their fans, including the bass-driven strut of I Turn My Camera On and the singalong of I Summon You amidst other favourites. In an odd move, The Way We Get By – thought to be amongst their biggest songs – was not played, but punters could go home satisfied in knowing they caught Spoon at their best.