Jeff Lang, Jordie Lane @ TheStreet Theatre, Canberra(2/10/11)

Wed 5th Oct, 2011 in Gig Reviews

On a weekend where most of the population were crowded around television screens cheering for their favourite teams, some slightly more civilised folk ventured out into the night to enjoy some fine tunes and consume wine or coffee instead.
First to take the quaint little stage inside The Street Theatre was singer-songwriter Jordie Lane, sharing the tales and tunes from his travels around the world.
Lane played songs both old and new, ranging from folk to country and even a blues tune or two. He shared several tracks from his current album, Blood Thinner. Highlights of this album’s track list included the set opener, Feet Fall, and a tune with a hilariously quirky backstory, Hollywood’s got a Hold.
Lane managed to fill the stage with sounds that could have come from several men and captivate the audience with outstanding skills on both his guitar and banjo.

And the night had only just taken off; the musical talent was only going to grow from here. Jeff Lang graced the stage with his band of musical delights, playing a range of tracks – his own songs, covers of old folk ditties, and not-so-old rock tunes.
Lang has a magical way of writing music and layers things perfectly. He is a critically acclaimed guitarist and his live performance only proves this. His guitar playing, both regular and slide, is incomparable.
Lang’s style consists of experimental guitar and instrumental pieces underneath simply written, frill-free vocals and lyrics. Highlights of the set included Running by the Rock, from current album Carried in Mind, and South, from 2009’s Chimeradour. Lang has an astounding way of making every song somehow seem to outshine both the next and the last.

An encore saw both Lang and Lane join together on stage to produce what would be a captivating cover of Elvis Costello’s Girls Talk, before all the musicians came together for a final hoorah in the form of The Save from 2004’s Whatever Makes you Happy.
The night saw fantastic banter, tales of home and the world, and some of the country’s finest musicians come together in a celebration of music.
Better than watching your team lose the grand final? Definitely.