The John Steel Singers brought their album launch tour to Melbourne’s Ding Dong Lounge to commemorate the exact day their second album Everything’s A Thread was released into the wild.
Also on the bill were Neighbourhood Youth and the Go Violets who both performed solid sets to a largely sparse crowd early on in the evening.
The main attraction arrived on stage promptly at 10:30pm to a respectable reaction from the roughly half-filled venue. They wasted little time getting into the swing of things and launched straight into the new album title track ‘Everything’s A Thread’. The song sounded instantly familiar, despite this reviewer having never heard it before.
After now having had time to give the new release a few spins, their rendition of the song on the evening was far superior to the recorded version. It sounded full, confident, and punchy, whereas the album version feels more lo-fi and compressed by comparison.
The next song they played was also a new album number called ‘Happy Before’, a common theme as seven out of the 11 songs the Brisbane lads played were from Everything’s A Thread.
Much like the title track ‘Everything’s A Thread’, many of the songs off the new album created quite a stir among fans when they were debuted live. Given that the album had only been released that day, logically most in attendance probably hadn’t of heard it yet. However the way people danced and nodded along enthusiastically, you wouldn’t have known
It’s a credit to the band to be able to be very clear and articulate in the way they play. Particularly when delivering their vocals; you could decipher each word in songs that you had never heard before. Even more special given most songs have three – four of the band members singing (often together). This was a real testament to the amount of time the band obviously spent rehearsing before the tour.
Their dedication to practicing has also made them a tight band that is a pleasure to watch and of course listen to musically. Well-known and obviously well-rehearsed songs off the old album also got a run, and understandably received a rousing reception from attendees.
‘Toes and Fingers’ was the first taste of any old material on the evening; the long song delivered stunningly. ‘Masochist’ was the clear highlight for the evening. It got people moving more than any other track with an undeniably poppy beat that proved irresistible.
The band played new album tune ‘Common Thread’ before finishing with what this reviewer expected to be ‘Overpass’, but turned out to be fellow Tangalooma track ‘Rainbow Kraut’. It was a quality song that was worthy of finishing the set, no question. What was most bewildering was the complete lack of what is undisputedly their most well known song, one that managed to score number 52 on the 2010 Triple J Hottest 100 countdown.
Speaking to fellow gig goers post show, many of them seemed dumbfounded by the absence of the song. There’s no doubt that bands get sick of playing certain songs over and over, night after night. However Bon Jovi not playing ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ at a show would cause an uproar. For a fairly young band to exclude their most popular and arguably best song is slightly self-indulgent and unfair to their fans that paid money to see them play and no doubt expected to hear ‘Overpass’.
It was a shame because it really marred what was an otherwise fantastic and thoroughly enjoyable gig. Simply put, slot the song in, no matter where in the set list, and you’ve got a really memorable evening of music. The set was professional and entertaining regardless, but hopefully the band don’t short change their Melbourne fans on their next tour.
