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ashryn

Gomez @ The Astor, Perth(07/08/11)

Wed 10th Aug, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Gomez hit Perth for their last night of the Splendour tour to the overwhelming gratitude of the sold out Astor crowd.

Opening for the night was local five-piece Ghost Hotel with a pub rock set that would have been right at home in the Rosemount or the new Hydey, but which didn’t seem to engage many of the early arrivals, most of whom remained seated or outside at the bar. All members bar the bassist sang or harmonised in twos, threes and fours, and they certainly looked as though they had something interesting to say, but most of it was lost in the mix which remained heavy on the guitars and very light on the vocals all night. While three guitars in a five-piece band was probably overkill, at least for the mixing desk, the band looked good on stage, owning it and having a good time, and the bass chrome was so shiny it shot reflected laser-beams into the small crowd that was slowly gathering. We’ve been seeing this local outfit everywhere of late, trailing a growing legion of fans. They have a residency at the Bird this month; and how they’ll all fit on that tiny stage is a question well worth the excursion.

Having released their latest album; Whatever’s on Your Mind just over a month ago, it seemed likely that this Gomez show would be more of a sitting and listening affair, whilst people checked out the new material – especially considering it was held in a reclaimed cinema with the smell of movie treats wafting over the throng. (Popcorn and beer create the oddest olfactory sensation; like going to a movie where everyone is hungover.) Despite the easy availability of seating however, the crowd milled enthusiastically in front of the stage, its density increasing with every minute of sound-check that passed. By the time the five lads appeared on stage in the middle of someone’s cover of Hangover Girl (which was picked up by the band), the crowd were ready to sing and bob, if not exactly dance.

So, unsurprisingly they played almost all of the tracks off the new album, which were unusually well received by the fans, particularly Lost, Whatever’s on Your Mind, Equalise and Options close to the end. With so many albums, fans would have been forgiven for being impatient to hear their favourites rather than the new stuff, in this instance however, people were equally pleased when their new favourites began; singing along when they could and clapping enthusiastically and hurling jewellery rather than g-strings during verses whose words were not yet memorised.

Of course, the old favourites elicited the loudest cheers and sing alongs, only encouraged by Tom Gray’s infectious smile and enthusiastic arm-motioning for the crowd to keep up. The vocal response to Get Myself Arrested had the band grinning at each other as if surprised, and on more than one occasion, complemented our “great singing”. The poignant Sweet Virginia made an appearance drowned in some heavy psychedelic guitar indulgence – which was interesting and mesmerising – but played havoc with the vocal delivery, or at least the ability of the crowd to hear it. Still, once they had worked out what song it was, punters did their best to help Gray’s vocals rise above an indulgence of guitars, and it seemed everyone was most satisfied with the rendition. Ruff Stuff saw Ben Ottewell restlessly pacing between back stage and centre with a beer to shout “Come back!” in the chorus assisted by eager fans.

Some trouble with Ian Ball’s guitar amp saw roadies run across stage with a spare and hurriedly set it all up just in time for the last song, which was followed by riotous applause. The demand for an encore was obliged adding Whipping Piccadilly to the favourites list before the band made their final bows and waved goodbye fetchingly to a well-satisfied crowd.

In the end it didn’t matter which classics made the set list raffle this time around, because seeing them performed live made every song a favourite all over again.