Old Man River @ Jive,Adelaide, (14/10/10)

Sun 17th Oct, 2010 in Gig Reviews

CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE.

Adelaide-based Our Husband are Freya Adele (formerly of Bing Goes to Monaco) and Nathaniel Morse ( Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! ). They’re unsigned and play honest, unpretentious folk/country pop. Standing in front of the crushed velvet backdrop, Freya’s vocals are surprisingly beautiful, and I find myself reminded of Jezabels front-woman Hayley Mary and New Zealand artist Gin Wigmore. The lyrics are minimalistic, and compliment Nathaniel’s guitar work marvellously. Eyes glancing upwards to the ceiling, Freya looks somewhat nervous/uncomfortable throughout, and at times, almost disconnected from the music, but her voice nevertheless forces you to stop and stare. When Nathaniel whistles during their last tune, it brings a smile to your face. Our Husband aren’t awfully memorable, but they aren’t that unforgettable either.

The stage is littered with a myriad of musical instruments (think trumpets, drums, keyboards, basses, guitars, xylophones, etc.) in preparation for our home-grown 20th Century Graduates. As their six members leap on stage and take their instruments, there’s barely enough room to move. There seem to be more members on stage every time I look. They have toured with the likes of Cloud Control and Miami Horror, and I love their tunes from the second they hit my ears. I fancy their New Pornographers / Silversun Pickups vibe and the fact that it took me a while to register that their drummer, Jeremy, in fact doubles as their lead singer. Jeremy possesses the ability to command an audience without even standing up. He has a lovely voice, and with the timely addition of Larissa’s sweet vocals, the sound is sublime. They’re a little bit indie, a little bit pop, with a twist of ska, and their tunes are so rich, so multi-faceted, that I feel sated listening to them. Highlights include Lucky You, Break Like Stone, Keeping Up With The Jones’, Little Red Romance, and Misery Jane, which is so infectious I’m probably going to require a lobotomy in the near future. Tonight, happiness has a face, and it’s one I want to stroke, over and over. Their set has been like an overly inflated jumping castle that you are rendered incapable of stepping off. Check out their debut EP, Parking Inspectors Are People Too. Thank you, 20th Century Graduates, for the smile is yet to leave me… PS. Official shout-out to Katey’s rad Pacman dress.

Chances are, if you’ve listened to JJJ in the past few years, you’ve been lucky enough to hear Sydney-born Ohan Rein and his band, Old Man River. The charts prove they love him in Germany, Japan, Italy, Korea, but I have no doubt his influence will spread further. His new album, Trust, was written on the road, and recorded over a year in studios in Mumbai, Tel Aviv and Sydney. Ohan is extremely personable, his lyrics honest, humble and inherently positive. Old Man River play tracks from Good Morning, and newbies from Trust. The new tracks move beyond simple, clean pop numbers to tunes which capitalise on Ohan’s extensive and rich global influences from the streets and bustling metropolises of nations such as India and Israel. His newer tunes are more elaborate, but still rate high on the memorability meter. The band members have fun on stage and this extends into the audience. Sunshine is a great little number that never fails to get the crowd moving. Hearing You’re On My Mind live is the epitome of happiness and I can just imagine this being played to a stadium teeming with adoring fans. His band is almost gimmicky at times, and jovially jokes about having turned into the ‘Letterman Band’ for a night insert cringe here. Ohan invites the audience on stage for a sing-a-long to La. A dozen individuals jump at the opportunity to share the stage with the boys, and singing without his mic, Ohan momentarily walks out into the crowd, trading places with his spectators. Standout tracks include Believe It and Time from 2007’s Good Morning. Old Man River’s music is like the sunshine (no pun intended); bright and blinding in its warmth and beauty. Get yourself to one of his shows immediately!

CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE.