Old Man River & Passenger @Amplifier Bar, Perth (4/3/11)

Mon 7th Mar, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Old Man River and Passenger are artists that are best seen live. Not to say that the recordings are sub-standard, but it’s hard to experience the emotion that drives the music when you’re listening to it on your computer or on the bus.

Opening for Passenger and Old Man River would be daunting, but Daniel Lee Kendall took it all in his stride coolly. Opening with the mysterious synth sounds of Long Way Down he launched straight into his set without hesitation, exposing his melodic, breathy vocals to the interested crowd building in the stuffy room. The Point in This? was met with some audience members bopping their heads to the pop keyboard sounds and was surprisingly ended with the man himself doing a short dance number to the instrumental finish that was met with cheers and amused looks. Cheekily and sheepishly he looked up asking, “What?” which said much about his laid-back approach to what he does. Looking much more at home behind his guitar, he finished with Lost in the Moment.

Passenger’s understated entrance was typical of the way he handles himself and his music. Apologising for being blocked-up and sick, calling himself a chimney-sweep and swallowing his throatie whole after a suggestion from an audience member, he introduced his first song Caravan. Although sickness took its toll on the first few lines, he soon captivated even the most stony-faced punter with his simplicity and well-written lyrics. His passion needs to be seen to be believed – it moves you uncontrollably and you go along with the ride.

Unfortunately, the ride was interrupted by the fire alarm. High-pitched beeps snapped people out of their trance and Passenger did his best to talk over the incessant beeping. Suddenly another high-pitched whooping sound started and the spell was completely broken. Not happy, he told everyone to take 5 while the staff tried to fix it, storming off stage muttering obscenities under his breath.

When the room was once again silent he came back and played Things You’ve Never Done from his soon-to-be recorded album, but you could tell that he wasn’t happy. Regardless, I See Love was played with care and passion despite a quiet audience. “I think we’ve been through something weird,” he said, likening the alarm incident to the plane crash on Lost. With every sound issue (leads falling out, bass thumping from next door) he took it in his stride, playing Table for One directly to the audience with no amplification whatsoever and immediately it became intimate. Instructing everyone to sing along to his last (catchy) song Holes seemed to bring the room together.

It’s obvious that Passenger knows how to sing and play guitar well, but it’s what’s in between the lines that makes his performances so raw and emotional.

Having the luxury of playing through a whole set without interruption did wonders for Old Man River. After asking bar staff to turn off all the fans for complete silence (despite the drunken shouts of people in the courtyard) he jumped onto the floor with nothing but his guitar and sang Open Up to a modest crowd circling him. The effect was intense but sadly would have worked a lot better at a quieter venue. His connection with the crowd was very strong, particularly when telling his stories about how the Dalai Lama is a “bit of a talker, likes his drink” and being told he has a “very good hairstyle” (complete with Indian accent).

He introduced follow-the-leader singing he learned at a yoga retreat and wrote a song specifically for the style, asking everyone to participate. His request was simple: “Close your eyes. You’re all Irish, it’s St. Patrick’s Day, you’re really drunk, and I’m Bono. That’s the brief,” he said with a mischievous grin. The singing went on for many minutes and crowd participation barely wavered. To watch him sing is to see a man perform with such effortlessness and style, his pitch nearly perfect the entire time. Despite having no band, Old Man River cleverly recreated the drums and layered guitar of Sunshine with his effects rack and the result was a surprisingly full-sounding song. In hindsight, it may have been the highlight of his set, even with the collaboration of all three artists at the end doing their version of Elton John’s Tiny Dancer.

You can’t help thinking that without the interruption during the middle of Passenger’s set the effect of such passionate music from a talented bill would have flourished to its full extent. Despite a few hiccups and a few pitchy vocals, it was a good night of heartfelt music and raw talent.