Clare Bowditch & The FeedingSet, Dan Kelly & The AlphaMales @ The Northcote SocialClub (09/07/06)

Thu 13th Jul, 2006 in Gig Reviews

It’s a dreary winter’s Sunday night in Melbourne as the rain and wind play kiss chasey outside and the band room at the Northcote Social Club quickly fills to capacity. What caliber of performer could possibly pry all these people from the warmth of their living room heaters and the Sunday night drama of a Big Brother eviction….Clare Bowditch, of course.

Yes, that was a joke about Big Brother, this non-bogan audience of thirty somethings wouldn’t trade their Bowditch tickets for a personal turkey slap from Gretel Killeen.

As the tightly packed crowd settle in for the night, first on the agenda is support act Dan Kelly & The Alpha Males. If you haven’t heard much of these guys just think Happy Days, catchy hooks, dulcet tones, hand claps and four part harmonies that would put Richie Cunningham’s band to shame.
Dan Kelly introduces each number with a brief synopsis of the lyrics, the underlying theme seeming to deal mainly with stupid, inept men revering beautiful, intelligent women.

With the clock ever ticking towards late on a school night, (quarter past ten in fact) Clare Bowditch’s band The Feeding Set take the stage, pattering straight into the first melody. A few moments later Clare herself emerges to a warm and heartfelt hometown audience applause.

Wasting no time, Clare and band move on to their second tune for the night as she calls for a sing along. Not quite getting it, the audience mumble obediently and as ‘Lips Like Oranges’ climbs to a close the stage-show-esque final chorus has everyone participating, with a little help from Clare on the next words.

Clare endears herself to us easily with a belly chuckling repertoire of stories and amusing anecdotes, as comfortable conversing between songs as performing her set, her humor really a stark contrast to the vulnerability and deepness of her lyrics and music.

The deceivingly boppy ‘Thing About Grief ‘is introduced with the quip;
“don’t feel guilty if you find yourself dancing to this”. The upbeat tempo not enough to get anyone moving as the sorrow melts from every word and hum that leaves Clare’s lips.

The set list tonight is basically a showcase of the latest album What Was Left spliced with works from earlier album Autumn Bone. While the introduction of a new song ‘You Look So Good’, still unfinished, is a taste of more good things to come from this sassy indie folk artist.

As the boys in the band are sent off on smoko, Clare and her french hornist/ backing singer Libby Chow impress us with their “multiplication trick” bumping tummies and breaking the news that there were actually four people on stage (ie; they were both pregnant) and of course the appreciative audience sighs in unison.

Clare and Libby then swoon us with a cut down version of the Triple J fave On This Side. The opening lyrics “We are living in a treehouse, in the middle of the ‘burbs” leaves everyone feeling clucky and the room filled with a sentimental aura.

As the lads return to the stage, Clare’s husband and Feeding Set member Marty Brown exchanges drums for keyboard for a shimmering rendition of ‘I Thought You Were God’, Clare hemorrhaging emotion with the use of her ever extensive vocal range.

For the final song in the set Clare shows us another side to her pop, folk intensity with a funked up groove and slammin’ bass line from an obscure band called The Stretch. Clare ditching her guitar for a wiggle and a groove, with a cheeky farewell of; “I’ve been Clare Bowditch and you’ve been wonderful”
Clare and band leave the stage momentarily before returning for an encore starting with the Crowded House classic ‘Fall At Your Feet’.

As the intimate affair winds to a close, Clare leaves us for the final leg of her tour, off to the warmer climates of WA & Byron Bay. The audience slinks out into the Melbourne winter, scarves pulled tight, yet all the warmer for their Clare Bowditch and The Feeding Set experience.