Bright Eyes, Darren Hanlon @Enmore Theatre, Sydney(14/11/11)

Wed 16th Nov, 2011 in Gig Reviews

It’s not unfair to say that Bright Eyes’ profile is not quite what it once was. New album The People’s Key was admirable in its sparseness and a refreshing return to simplicity after 2007’s Cassadaga, but it did not exactly set the indie world alight in the way Conor Oberst managed right from when he first emerged as a slightly brattish, fevered presence in the late 90s, to the imperious pair of albums he put out in 2005, I’m Wide Awake Its Morning and Digital Ash in A Digital Urn (still favoured by Oberst himself, given that a large chunk of tonight’s songs came from those two records). But while he may not be in the spotlight quite as much, his ongoing combination of polemics and spirituality arguably make him as relevant as ever. Live, they have always been superb, and tonight proved that as they get older, they remain as earnest and passionate as teenagers.

But first it was the brisk anti-folk of the home-grown Darren Hanlon, a wise choice of support. An unsatisfying Hanlon show is a very rare thing indeed, and he seemed inspired by the opportunity to support a band who are his natural musical kin. Theatrical and good-natured, his set was a dose of good spirits along with the strong material from latest album I Will Love You At All.

By the time Bright Eyes emerged, the Enmore had become dominated by 18-22-year-olds, an interesting thing to note given that Bright Eyes shows in the US or UK have come to be gatherings of gruff, balding old bastards in the throes of a mid-life crisis. Tonight’s audience proved that if Oberst is generation Y, his appeal has certainly crossed over to generation Z. Opening with Four Winds, the seven-piece ploughed through a number of tracks before Oberst, straggly hair obscuring his face, deigned to speak to the crowd. But given the gusto he put into Arc Of Time (Timecode), We Are Nowhere and It’s Now and one of the best tracks from The People’s Key, Jejune Stars, no communication was necessary to glean what mood he was in: in a country that has always been friendly to him, this meant something.

And it just got better. Other new songs are their own quiet triumph but it was those from his 2003-6 purple patch that stood up the best. That is, Lua, the extraordinary I Believe In Symmetry and an appropriately aggression-fuelled Road To Joy. Old Soul Song met with startling approval from the masses while new track One For You, One For Me seems to have firmly ensconced itself as a staple of the Bright Eyes setlist.

As the evening wore on Oberst seemed to become more chirpy, even indulging in some faux-hip hop moves on those songs that did not require wielding a guitar ( Approximate Sunlight in particular). Over the years, he has become a true showman, yet with a sense of grace and irony matched by few. That he remains one of the most fervently ideological presences in indie-folk completes the package. Tonight, we got it all in one hectic couple of hours.