Oh Mercy, Kieran Ryan (KidSam) @ The Toff In Town,Melbourne (26/08/2010)

Sun 29th Aug, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Kieran Ryan worked up the crowd for Oh Mercy by warming our hearts with his low-key loveliness. Armed with just an acoustic guitar, Ryan had a slight deer-in-the-headlights look when the Toff curtains quickly drew back to reveal the vocalist standing on the stage by himself. “Wow, that’s dramatic!” he commented. Most will know Ryan best as one-half of the award-nominated Melbourne act Kid Sam, and even without cousin Kishore Ryan banging away on the drums, Ryan is still recognisable as the voice behind Down to the Cemetery from a mile away. Using delicate acoustic guitar as a vehicle for his pure voice, Ryan’s songs are simple Dylan-esque ballads that are heart-breakingly beautiful.

In June 2009, this writer reviewed Oh Mercy’s astounding amazing show at the Toff, and tonight’s performance was no different. The intimate Melbourne venue was full of punters crowded around to catch a glimpse at the four talented individuals standing between those velvet curtains as they launched their 7” Keith St. single. Alex Gow and company astounded the audience a mix of gorgeous tracks from Privileged Woes and In The Nude for Love, as well as a few newbies, that all seemed to be about one girl or another. So much so that Gow actually introduced one particular track by saying, “This song is special to me because it’s the first song I wrote that wasn’t about a girl… So this is the song that isn’t about a girl.”

Oh Mercy’s set included What You Do, Blue Lagoon and Astrid, No and, of course, the single of the night. “Once a year I go to Church with Mum and it’s on Christmas Eve so it’s pretty exciting… Yup,” Gow explained Keith St. to the crowd, before the band launched into the upbeat track that borrows its bass lines from Madonna’s Like A Virgin. But perhaps the track that received the most cheers was Doldrums, a melancholic bittersweet song with the bassist Eliza Lam on vocals.

While the lovely Miss Lam does not have perhaps the strongest of voices, the slight shakiness and raw honesty of her singing turned the tune into a heart wrenching piece, and hopefully the audience’s adoring reaction will convince her band mates lend her the spotlight more often.

Apart from that one track though, many of Oh Mercy’s newest additions to their repertoire seemed to be safe rehashes of their timeless pop pieces that captured our attentions in the first place. While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing – basing new songs on excellent songs – it will be exciting to hear the entire result of their recent recording stint in the US, and where it’s brought Gow and songwriting partner Thomas Savage’s music.

CHECK OUT PHOTOS FROM THE NIGHT HERE