Andy Bull, Spring Skier, PlutoJonze @ GoodGod, Sydney(26/8/11)

Tue 30th Aug, 2011 in Gig Reviews

2010’s buzz kid Andy Bull has waited close to a year to tour his second EP, ‘Phantom Pains’, so it was to much anticipation that he waltzed into a sold out Goodgod Small Club.

The night began with the electric styling of Guy Pearce look-a-like, Pluto Jonze. Jonze welcomed in the crowd with a unique set of hauntingly banging beats that you would expect from the love child of David Bowie and MGMT. In a set that potentially stole some of Bull’s limelight, Jonze performed tracks such as Submarine and his debut single, Plastic Bag in a Hurricane. It was all impressively coordinated with psychadelic visualisations on TV screens at either end of the stage, giving the whole room the immersive feel of a pleasant drug-induced hallucination. This was complemented by his experienced caress of the theremin, possibly the sexiest instrument in the world, its sound providing another dimension to both Jonze’s sound and performance. Jonze proved without a doubt that he is definitely one to watch if you like your music experimental and your jeans tight.

Jonze was followed by Brisvegas duo, Spring Skier, also known as Remy and Kane from Hungry Kids of Hungary. With their folksy harmonies and acoustic melodies, Spring Skier appropriately sound like a warm spring afternoon with a subtle breeze tickling your ankles and a cider in your hand. Their versatility was noteworthy from a band usually seen hopping wildly about to a much faster paced indie-pop.

The already packed venue seemed to get even tighter as Andy Bull stepped on stage, Goodgod’s intimate setting ensuring that ladies in the audience (who made up the majority by far), were all rendered susceptible to his charm and piercing eyes. Bull was joined on stage by the talented Bardot-fan Alex, on guitar, and the River Phoenix doppelganger Dave, on drums. Bull, who performed tracks off 2008’s We’re Too Young and 2010’s Phantom Pains, began the night with My Street, before road testing out a newbie, Slipping Away.

By this time the crowd was grooving along, particularity when Bull covered Tears for Fears’ 1985 classic, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, which he dedicated with tongue-in-cheek sympathy to the recently deposed Middle East Dictator Colonel Gaddafi. Bull concluded his set with a string of quality tracks, including his Triple J Hottest 100 #68, Dog, which was a definite crowd favourite. The highlight of the evening, however, was the Last Waltz, Kane and Remy joining the threesome on stage and harmonising perfectly, such to the crowd’s delight. Bull closed with the fantastic Nothing to Lose, walking offstage before striding back almost instantly to calls for an encore.

The night concluded with Bull solo on stage. It was obvious when he began to play the opening riffs to Slow Way to Die that this was the very essence of Andy Bull, music so raw that you can’t help but get lost in it. Whether on stage at a sold out venue or pouring out of your headphones at the bus stop, there is certain purity in Bull’s music that is undeniable. Maybe it comes from the simplicity of the piano/keyboards, or from the lyrics Bull sings with such a depth of feeling.

One cannot help but feel that both We’re Too Young and Phantom Pains are an entrée to the abundant five course meal we are yet to receive from Andy Bull, and judging from the reception he received in Sydney, the audience is damn hungry. With his uncanny ability to produce a soul filled piano pop song and his seemingly limitless talent, Andy Bull’s star is on the rise, and there are more than a few people waiting at his dinner table.