The Basics, Georgia Fair, OwlEyes @ Northcote Social Club,Melbourne (30/10/2010)

Thu 4th Nov, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Owl Eyes get it. They know the beauty of simplicity, they’re not afraid to use it and they certainly have the measure of a bubbling pre-gig crowd. Stepping literally out of the punters and onto stage, singer Miss ‘Owl’s voice is breathy and subtle like Julia Stone’s but with a stonger timbre, and paired with a clean, picked electric guitar the Social Club is momentarily transformed into a dusky jazz lounge complete with soulful songstress and rapt audience. The music is soothing and delicate without becoming boring, the guitarist’s fingers expertly traversing the fretboard to extract a gently pulsating ambience from his instrument. A foray into strummed territory towards the end is less successful , the oblique chords jarring against the, sweet halcyon vocal, but a cover of Phoenix’s Long Distance Call is impeccable, leaving the duo’s musical ability in no doubt. It’s the sort of talent that makes a mockery of the ‘X factor’ and on this evidence, it wouldn’t take too heavy a hand in production to turn Owl Eyes into a wholly recordable prospect. Definitely one to watch.

Remember when John Denver was cool? Yeah, that never happened but if it had, he might have sounded something like Georgia Fair, who bring a little more energy to the stage, producing good, lilting country-tinged summer music, despite cornering the market in dodgy hairstyles. As long as you can see past the drummer’s Jew-fro, guitarist’s shaggy mop, singer’s dirty mo and the bassist’s… well, the bassist, there is a wealth of pop harmony to be discovered amidst the band’s bittersweet acoustica. Marianne has a particularly bluegrass vibe and while Morning Liar might not be the ‘hoedown’ promised, its bouncy bassline and cheerful harmonies help to deviate from the so far quite maudlin course the gig has been plotting, setting us up for the arrival of The Basics. Of course, the most anticipated song of the set is the one that managed to make strawberry milk cool for the party pill generation, and perhaps under the weight of that context, Picture Frames falls a little flat. The song just seems a little rushed with little energy invested into it where it should be a bona fide live gem, but this lack of attentiveness to their best bet doesn’t undo all the good work Georgia Fair put into warming up the crowd for the headliners.

It’s a swelled and excitable crowd in the Social Club bandroom that welcomes the effervescent Basics to the stage, who respond with reciprocal animation from the get go, bringing their retro-styled funkiness to life with great enthusiasm. Subscribing to the ‘4 chords is one too many’ school of rock ‘n’ roll, theirs is the least technical music on display tonight but undoubtedly the most enjoyable, jumping intermittently between 50’s Americana, surf rock and Kink’s-esque pop. The bass throbs along like a double bass while Tim Heath somehow finds the time to belt out scaling guitar lines between arse-shaking boogies and funky dance moves.

With all pre-moon landing compass points covered from Orbison to Morrison, The Basics have the foundations in place to arrange a rollicking good time for attendees and they don’t disappoint tonight. It’s a show that dips in and out of rockabilly and ska, showcasing the brilliant Better, which trumps even The Vasco Era for bluesy Australian jam song of the year. Occasionally the ‘vintage’ schtick comes unstuck, but not often and when it comes out right, the effect is profound on a delighted audience. Surviving even the divisive assertion that The Black Keys ‘are shit’, The Basics bring the music that Quentin Tarantino loves to the masses with undeniable accuracy and aplomb.

CHECK OUT PHOTOS FROM THE NIGHT HERE