Skipping Girl Vinegar @ Raval,Sydney (19/06/2010)

Tue 22nd Jun, 2010 in Gig Reviews

I had a great dream the other night, I went round to a mate’s house and met some awesome people who suddenly became my best mates, there were vines everywhere and suddenly I heard the most awesome music that virtually defied description, some of it made with an old telephone, and a battered cymbal, there was a violin and then they offered around Salt n Pepa cassette singles and at the end of the night an amazing chocolate raspberry brownie cake magically appeared which just might be the best brownie I’ve ever tasted. So moist…so moist… so fruity…

I awoke on Sunday morning with a slightly dry mouth and bleary eyes and then remembered that this was no dream….this was the delightful experience of watching Skipping Girl Vinegar perform a special one-off Sydney show at The Raval the night before featuring new material from their forthcoming album and old favourites.

Enclosed in the exquisitely homely and bijou environs of the Raval, above the Macquarie Hotel (currently under refurbishment), with it’s comfy armchairs, gothic styled stained glass window, and red velvet curtained stage, it was the perfect venue for one of Australia’s best independent bands.

Melbourne’s Skipping Girl Vinegar consist of brother and sister Mark (guitar and vox) and Sare (bass) Lang and old childhood friends Chris Helm (drums), Amanthi Lynch (Keys) and Kelly Lane (violin) and they exude a familial love that extends beyond their music and touches the audience in a genuine way making you feel both at home and part of their circle of friends.

Breaking into their latest single One Long Week Chris belts out the drums as if his life depends on it. The positioning up at the front of the drummer is a rarity in performance but works so well in the case of SGV, Chris having his fair share of vocals as well and banter within the dynamic of the band really works. One Long Week has shades of Arcade Fire to it. Especially with the off-kilter keys intro and Win Butler-like vocals and harmonious wall of sound build up. This is no bad thing, less like sound-a-likes and more like kindred spirits. Often the drumming lifts the songs up to a higher level with Chris’s attacks on the drum kit.

Their music which sits perched on a sty between folk and indie-pop has sensibilities of grandeur yet remains earthy and wholesome. Sweet melodies and an honesty of wry observation, lyrically the songs espouse tales of traveling somewhere both physically and mentally in a rootsy hobo kind of way as in the track Wandered. As a band they pull together effortlessly and build momentum through their songs like a freight train. They look like they’re having fun performing on stage and they really try to make the audience feel part of the proceedings like friends.

The set design; vines wrapped round the equipment and mic stands lends to their organic feel, with the odd ‘found’ object scattered here and there. Every object seemingly has a back-story, and the found objects are put to good use as with the old telephone played by Sare on the intro to one of the tracks, or the battered cymbal found by the roadside sitting rather pathetically on Chris’s drum-kit.

Highlights of the set of which there were many were the renditions of old faves One Chance and Sift the Noise. Actually, aside from the music the highlight was being greeted by Sare at the end of the gig outside the exit dispensing home-made choc-berry brownies. They were amazing. Cheers guys.

The only criticism I have is that their support *Terry Serios Media Frenzy8 was a rather traditional fare, a bit of a yawn fest. Something of a standard Tamworth Country Festival band I imagine. Not a good accompaniment to SGV. No offence intended but the band appealed to a completely different audience, i.e the grey brigade. Not sure why they were the support, just seemingly out of place. Might want to rectify that…

Check out the photos from the gig