The Fiery Furnaces are well known world wide for their dynamic and eclectic live shows. Their recent tour of Australia, off the back of their new Bitter Tea album, was a very short and sweet tour, and when they hit the Zoo in Brisbane, there were a few surprises in store for the small but dedicated crowd.
Songstress Laura Imbruglia opened proceedings, and since my only other experience with her was a show with just her and her acoustic guitar, the first surprise of the night came when she took the stage with electric in hand, and bass player and drummer in tow. The second surprise was moments later when she ripped into a couple of high tempo, chord-based rock numbers to open the show. The Zoo was practically empty, due to a combination of the tour being not hugely publicised, and an early start, but Laura took that in stride, belting out number after number, filling the empty space with her vocals. The acoustic guitar made a couple of appearances, but the speed stayed set to maximum. The highlight of the set was definitely her single My Dream Of A Magical Washing Machine. Laura has an album due out soon, and judging by the rapturous applause that greeted her by the end of the set, its one that the punters will be hanging out for.
The Devoted Few are one of Sydney’s best kept secrets, although a support slot with Sarah Blasko last year has definitely helped crowds to see the light. With as many band members as both the other acts combined, the stage is definitely crowded, but that doesn’t prevent the band members from moving around the stage. Playing an electric, yet emotional rock style, with two synthesisers on stage, they move through their set with flair and aplomb. Frontman Ben performs calmly and confidently, and the guitar work behind him matches his powerful vocals. As they play tracks from their 2004 album Billboard Noises, the crowd begins to grow and swell with each passing number. This is as good a show as The Devoted Few have ever put on, and as they go from strength to strength, they will surely become household names in the future.
The Fiery Furnaces have a unique live show which never fails to surprise audiences. Whether its performing all their songs straight through without a single break in the music, or not playing a single song that same way it was recorded, the Furnaces are masters of the live music domain. They open tonight’s show by running a couple of songs together, and it looks like tonight will be another traditional Furnaces show. But then, something different happens. They stop. There are pauses between all the songs, and brother and sister combo Eleanor and Matt Freidberger banter with crowd between songs, something which I don’t remember them doing before. There is also no keyboard on stage; this is the Furnaces at their rocking rawest, powering through songs from all their previous albums, including hit single Tropical Ice Land. Eleanor does her usual trademark vocals, and Matt is awesome as always on the guitar, while their new drummer is more than up to the task of these new high speed songs. The Furnaces feel like a garage band, but if so, the best garage band ever.
This is not the Furnaces which the crowd is used to, but everyone warms to the new attitude. The crowd is moshing and dancing away, and you can tell the Furnaces are loving it too. They go off stage for a break, but return almost instantly. A couple of songs later, and the crowd gets the greatest surprise of the night, as Eleanor asks for requests. Unfortunately, this is so surprising that the crowd is struck quiet, and noone responds. They play one more song, and by then the crowd has figured out what is going on, and begin screaming requests. Of course, without the keyboard, not all songs can be played, but after half a dozen or so requests, the Furnaces bid us good night, leaving the Brisbane crowd more than satisfied with a great night of rock and roll, and more than a few surprises.
