Okkervil River, Mike Noga @The HiFi, Brisbane (19/10/11)

Sun 23rd Oct, 2011 in Gig Reviews

The HiFi is just shy of capacity tonight as Texan indie folk rock icons Okkervil River make their long awaited return to our shores. Hot off releasing one of their best works to date I Am Very Far, the band are at the height of their sound and ambitions are high as Will Sheff and his band of merry men (and woman) ready to play the final show of their wildly successful tour of Australia.

Kicking off proceedings is drummer for The Drones and folk troubadour in his own right, Mike Noga. From the get go comparisons of Noga’s solo career can be made with The Drones frontman Gareth Liddiard. Noga has the same wit and on stage personality as Liddiard, but retains his own identity as he goes through the tracks off solo debut The Balladeer Hunter. He is momentarily joined by the Gin Club’s Bridget Lewis on cello. Piss On A Butterfly sees Noga jumping between lyrics and his harmonica as he strums his acoustic wildly, while All My Friends (Are Alcholics) sees a more delicate road with Lewis returning to the stage.

The two wolves from the cover of I Am Very Far are unveiled and illuminated on a banner the height of the roof as Okkervil River take to the stage to widespread cheer as they launch into single Wake And Be Fine, the short sharp sea shanty sending the crowd into a frenzy. They launch into For Real off Black Sheep Boy, to which the older fans of the band respond ecstatically. Even early on the enthusiasm and energy of the group takes its toll as drummer Cully Symington breaks a snare through the explosion of energy coming from the stage

The sound is near perfect tonight during Rider, with frontman Will Sheff’s vocals sounding amazing. Lauren Gurgiolo is simply a joy to see live as the small songstress swaps between guitar, mandolin, banjo and a lapsteel guitar, using them to play sweet and moving harmonies or just to simply belt out intriguing noise throughout the set.

The band leave the stage for Sheff to play A Stone solo. The delicate track is a true highlight of the night, Sheff’s voice bringing some to shed tears of joy. His dynamic range sees him backing off the mic half way across the stage to scream.

Getting back into the new album We Need A Myth sees multi instrumentalist Michael St Clair being the only real sufferer of technical issues as he changes between guitar, violin, trumpet, percussion, piano and more with almost all of his instruments being inaudible for the entire set. Symington starts pounding the bone crunching intro to The Valley , drinks on the table vibrating from the lower end of the bass drum while Sheff and bassist Patrick Pestorius double up the fast paced vocal delivery of the verse.

In a section that would play like a greatest hits album, the band launch into Mermaid, the intimate sea shanty ballad going down a treat as the crowd sing back at Sheff. Your Past Life Is a Blast follows, then the sexy lounge bar delivery of the first verse of _Lost On Our Life Is A Movie Or Maybe the band find a good niche with each other while the crowd clap along in double time. As the track hits it’s final notes the band then thank the crowd and the lights go down as they leave the stage.

Re-emerging for an encore, they simply do not let up the pace as they perform The Rise, taking a dark and more energetic approach than on record and while the surprise classic Westfall off the groups debut Don’t Fall in Love With Everyone you See delight inspiring a universal singalong, Sheff confesses to have forgotten to tune his guitar halting the dramatic introduction to the track. Surprisingly still full of energy the band finish with arguably their most popular song Unless It’s Kicks, Sheff and the band thrashing around the stage knocking over mic stands and anything else in their way until there is nothing left.

Will Sheff is a rare breed that is not only a talented and deep song writer but a charming performer on stage. His appearance with age may resemble the likes of Jarvis Cocker but Sheff’s energy and enthusiasm set him apart and put him into a league of his own. Judging by the chatter amongst the crowd Okkervil River have gone down a hit on their last show in Australia for this tour. In what’s been a true spectacle and joy throughout, here’s hoping for a return visit within the near, near future.