Old Man River @ TheSpiegeltent, Brisbane(12/09/2010)

Mon 20th Sep, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Globe trotter and sometimes Sydney resident, Old Man River (otherwise known as Ohad Rein) and his band also called, Old Man River, were possibly born to play at the Spiegeltent. With it’s intimate yet quirky décor, smoke machines and interactive atmosphere, it was hard not to be transported from King George Square to somewhere altogether more magical during the set.

Starting off with a few introductions and a program run down by the Spiegeltent MC, the crowd was encouraged to participate and interact with the band right from the get go.

Touring around the country as part of their latest release Trust, Old Man River played a variety of songs off 2010’s Trust including Religion, Trust, India and Kaiyuma’s Lullaby, in addition to a few older tracks such as Be The Change and You’re On My Mind .

The set combined soothing acoustic rock with hauntingly jazzy piano, which granted, seems a strange mix but Old Man River make it work, particularly thanks to the amazing piano skills on display, with the keyboardists fingers magically blurring across the keys.

Having seen Old Man River as a support act on numerous occasions, this reviewer thought they knew what to expect from their set, and was not prepared for the chills of Sunday night. As a support act they are great but as a headliner they are amazing, allowing their vast amount talent, wit and awkwardly charming banter with the crowd to be fully appreciated.

As a testament to their ability to convince a crowd to let go of their inhibitions, Old Man River coerced the entire audience to make bird noises – yes bird noises – at one stage of the set. Truly a sight to be seen and probably a disturbing noise to be heard outside the Spiegeltent.

Finishing off the night with a three song acoustic encore amongst the crowd, Old Man River truly proved his powers as a headline act tonight, and whilst the name might conjure up some less than favourable show tunes, a real, live show of Old Man River is not to be missed.