You would think that a line-up including indie mainstays Superchunk, prolific folkster M. Ward, and the legendary headliners Neutral Milk Hotel would see tickets sold out in minutes. Instead, Neutral Milk Hotel will play to a nearly full Tivoli tonight. The floor and upstairs balconies are packed with 20-something women and their mostly beardy companions determined to catch a small slice of these indie darlings and Harvest Festival would-be headliners.
Superchunk isn’t particularly well known in these parts, but they have been a huge part of the scene in the US since 1989. With an impressive back catalogue of 10 studio albums and a smattering of EPs to their name, the band have developed a loyal worldwide fan base. From opener ‘Cast Iron’ to the closing refrain of ‘Slack Motherfucker’, Superchunk showcase why they are still so relevant on the music scene as they continue to influence the likes of Jimmy Eat World and The Get-Up Kids. The undeniable set highlight is ‘Me & You & Jackie Mittoo’, a song that questions the role that music plays in our lives as singer Mac McCaughan screams in outrage, “I hate music, what is it worth?” Similarly, the lyrics “the feeling of space between all the notes, but I got nothing else so I guess here we go” is sang over the catchiest power pop chorus you can imagine. By the time ‘Hyper Enough’ roles around, the quartet look like they’re just getting started, but sadly there’s two more acts to get through tonight.
M. Ward is finally appearing to break the big time in the US. After six albums and collaborations with Conor Oberst (Monsters of Folk) and Zooey Deschanel (She and Him), Ward saw his most recent effort, A Wasteland Companion, rocket up the charts and threaten the Billboard top spots. That said, on first impression, Ward seems somewhat misplaced on the line-up here. After the frenetic pace and movement of Superchunk, the audience is now expected to shift down a gear as Ward and his three-piece backing band saunter on stage. With relative ease, Ward steadies the ship with engaging renditions of ‘Poison Cup’ and the faster-paced ‘Primitive Girl’.
Looking perfectly at home on stage, it becomes readily apparent that Ward has mad (if understated) guitar skills, treating us to improvised solos and rock ‘n’ roll stances that never seem strained. His country-tinged tunes wax on his anxieties, touching on themes of faith, loneliness, and the state of humanity. These songs conjure up a nervous tension, like during ‘Four Hours In Washington’, as his trademark husky voice drawls out lines like “I hear wolves around the doorstep and they’re circling outside” while an ominous tom-heavy drum pattern barrels in the background before dissolving suddenly into a chaotic jam.
After folky ‘Lullaby + Exile’ and the sublime ‘Outta My Head’ make an appearance, the opening finger-picking of the dramatic ‘Me And My Shadow’ begins. After sitting out the first verse on guitar, Ward hits his lone distortion pedal and solos through the phenomenally rousing white-noise finish before rounding the set off a few songs later with the Daniel Johnston favourite, ‘To Go Home’.
The 15 years between shows has seen In The Aeroplane Over The Sea only grow in popularity and the legend of Neutral Milk Hotel along with it. Having never played a show in Australia before (and only a handful since their reunion last month), the crowd is ravenous for a glimpse of the enigmatic Jeff Mangum and his band.
Neutral Milk Hotel arrives on stage to deafening roars from the crowd. It’s immediately down to business as the band begin with the most recognisable of tracks, ‘The King Of Carrot Flowers Part 1’. The song and the singer’s nasal voice are welcomed by the crowd like an old friend, and the follow-up of Parts II and III only multiply the effect as an unexpected mosh pit erupts at the song’s barnstorming conclusion. Mangum, with his careless, scraggly long hair and beard, looks like he’s aged – but, when the driving stomp of ‘Holland, 1945’ kicks in, it’s 1998, he’s 28-years-old, and he is on stage with his best friends at a backwater club. When these moments hit, the enthusiasm of the band explodes, and tracks like ‘A Baby For Pree’ send him and multi-instrumentalist Julian Koster bouncing across the stage while horn-specialist Scott Spillane feels each lyric as he yells in time with Mangum.
‘In The Aeroplane Over The Sea’ sees the introduction of Koster’s singing. He utilises his voice expertly, bending notes like a theremin and adding an ethereal mood as horns and the clanging march of the drums swirl around him. And that’s the difference with tracks from classic albums like In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. Each song is so colourfully arranged with a vast array of instruments, and the textures create more heaviness than balls-to-the-wall distortion ever will. The tunes perfectly complement the brooding, affecting, and, in some instances, disturbing lyrics. During the performance of ‘Oh Comely’, when he sings “know all your enemies, we know who our enemies are“, the menace of the lyrics send shivers straight down the spine and makes it the heaviest acoustic number you’re ever likely to hear live. The subject matter covered in the song alone is deeply troubling, but in a setting with several hundred spellbound punters looking on, it’s positively unforgettable.
Tracks from On Avery Island like ‘Song Against Sex’ and ‘A Baby For Pree’ are, while a cut above most of what’s released these days, greeted with only warm applause from the crowd (compared to the receptions afforded by the likes of ‘Two Headed Boy’ and ‘Ghost’). The intimacy of the songs bring with them such emotional magnitude that they dwarf all others.
As the final strains of ‘Engine’ fade and the band thank the crowd for the final time, the audience peels away into the rain-soaked Brisbane evening to debrief on what has been an amazing night in music. They thank their lucky stars that Harvest got canned, giving the fans tonight the most unlikely and rare of musical experiences.
