Liddiard and Salter. Oz music at it’s best.
Words and pictures: Kate Scantleton
Thursday, April 15 2010
I was appalled when I walked through the doors of the Troubadour tonight and saw a less-than-sold-out crowd… or so I thought. It turns out Brisbane actually does know good music when it hits them.
Or at least some do.
The partnership of Brissie boy Ben Salter (The Gin Club, Giants of Science) and Gareth Liddiard turned out to be absolutely perfect. Ben, doing a strangely new solo set seemed completely at home with his acoustic guitar and the room loved him for it. It was a nice change to focus on his delightful vocals without having the distraction of a band behind him, and I for one and hoping that this is a new avenue that Ben is looking at on a more permanent basis.
Much the same could be said for Gareth Liddiard, who never manages to disappoint a crowd. Mixing his poignant storytelling with his very original brand of songwriting and vocals, and you will always have one very interesting, entertaining and dramatic set.
For any Drones fan, the set covered just enough that everyone would be impressed. Highlights from the set include Oh My, Locust, Sixteen Straws, a haunting rendition of Jezebel, and Shark Fin Blues, which had Salter back out from the green room to provide some much appreciated backing vocals.
One thing that I have always managed to appreciate of Liddiard’s is his comical quick-wittedness. It is so refreshing to see such a talented and followed musician as Liddiard to be so humble when on stage, afraid as coming off as a wanker, but also be so comfortable that he can let his vocabulary loose. This was much more apparent tonight due to the quiet in the awe-struck crowd.
Tonight was by far the best 20-odd dollars a Brisbane punter could have spent on entertainment. I guarantee. And those of you who missed out, head here to get an idea of what you missed, or go grab any of their four albums to experience one of Australia’s most unique bands.