A superb line-up of folk, Indie and pop-rock aroused the crowd at ANU bar when the ever-so-handsome Hume brothers stopped into town for the Evermore Real Life tour. First to clutch the mike were The Hampdens, who impressed with their angst-filled ethereal tunes. Jazzy chords were paired with strumming guitar, plus steady prevailing vocals by lead singer Susannah Legge impressed the crowd. This is yet another Perth band to take note of. (Is there something in the water over there?)
Next up was ‘suburban kid’ Bob Evans, a.k.a Jebediah front man Kevin Mitchell. His alternative country-folk-rock was incredibly crowd friendly. Like the crowd, most of whom endured their angsty adolesence to the soundtrack of Jebediah’s indie pop anthems, Evans showed a more mature, relaxed sound that transgressed the upbeat ‘youth rebellion’ sound of the band that launched him. In between songs, including the appealing Don’t You Think It’s Time and newly released Nowhere Without You, Evans swigged red wine straight from the bottle – a bottle he proudly declared was a 2001 drop from the Canberra region.
Finally, Evermore took the stage in front of a predominantly female audience. Opening with the appropriate Welcome to Real Life, the brothers Hume – guitar/vocalist Jon, keyboard/bassist Peter and drummer Dann- settled into the set quickly with massive tunes It’s Too Late and Only for One Day from debut album Dreams. The dynamic rock made way for pleasant harmonies of Light Surrounding You, the latest single from current album Real Life. A lighting technician’s dream, the light set featured huge lit up disco balls that created a twinkling starry effect, whilst the song showed Evermore are capable of holding their own beyond the predominately upbeat, epic rock tunes they’ve become renowned for.
The band was clearly enjoying themselves- interacting well with the crowd and sharing their own personal ‘we got lost on the monstrosity that is the ANU campus’ story. They found themselves right at home onstage, and no more so than during an epic energetic performance of current radio ‘repeat every hour on the hour’ hit Running , which featured and extended drum solo from Dann – a solo in which he beat so hard he knocked his glasses off. All the while Peter rocked his keyboard, lifting it over his head and dragging it about onstage giving the impression that he’d mistaken it for his bass.The encore was a pleasant surprise, with heart-throb Jon giving the limelight a rest and allowing both his brothers to perform solo songs. A special acoustic version of Slipping Away featuring Dann on the mandolin took him, and the outfit themselves, to all new levels of respect in my book.
