Augie March Played Their First Shows In 5 Years And We Were There

On the 16^th of June this year, Augie March’s Facebook page published two words that sent a ripple of anticipation through music circles: “Off hiatus”.

This announcement was followed up with the release of two well received singles ‘After The Crack Up’ and ‘Definitive History’, and finally, their first album in six years (Havens Dumb) dropped into the eagerly awaiting hands of the public in early October.

They are now in the midst of their next phase- performing live.

Tonight is the third show of five the Melbourne-based quintet will play Brunswick’s beloved Howler band room.

The air is positively humming with punters lying in wait at the chance to see their favourite Aussie indie/pop rockers for the first time since coming out of their half-decade long hibernation period.

Without much fanfare, the guys (Glenn Richards- vocals, David Williams- drums, Adam Donovan- guitar, Edmondo Ammendola- bass, Kiernan Box – keyboards) take to the stage and get stuck right into it after giving a short nod to what day it is: “Happy Halloween everyone!”

There are no ghosts or creatures that go bump in the night present, but there is every chance the audience will fall under a spell as soon as they are reintroduced to the haunting beauty that is Augie March.

Starting strong with ‘AWOL’, the opening track to their latest offering Havens Dumb, this is a gorgeous lilting melody that is swept along nicely with front man Richards’ emotive lyricism and sets the tone for the night: intricate arrangements married with intellectual poeticism, a rebirth, a touch of nostalgia, a few rollicking tunes, and a sense of calm and relief that Augie March are back and maybe, just maybe all those years of waiting were entirely worth it.

Next, they seem to step back in time fifty years with ‘Hobart Obit’, a new song with a doo-wop vibe, largely helped along with a three-man brass section and harmonious backing vocals, before dipping their toes into debut album Sunset Studies with keyboard driven ‘Maroondah Reservoir’.

The evils of modern technology rear their ugly head in the form of ear-splitting feedback which results in individual cries from the stage of ‘Ouch!’ immediately followed up with a droll “Rock ‘n’ Roll!” which naturally sends a wave of laughter through the room.

Not to be deterred, they roll on with good humour and continue down memory lane touching on all four previous studio albums, all the while seamlessly interspersing the newer songs in the mix.

Richards is visibly frustrated when the odd glitch does pop up, and the band does take a while to retune instruments between songs, but for the most part when things don’t go their way, they fill the silence with a little light-hearted banter and it’s great to see how much more relaxed they seem on stage together once more. Somehow you don’t think the fans mind these moments overly much.

Crowd favourites are made evident in the sheer volume of the audience’s response to ‘Little Wonder’ from their sophomore effort Strange Birds, the devilishly delicious ‘The Devil In Me’, that little number that got absolutely everyone talking back in the day ‘One Crowded Hour’, and the upbeat fun feet-tapping rowdiness of ‘This Train Will be Taking No Passengers’ that had everyone clambering to board this particular locomotive.

Ending all too soon, Augie March came back for a ripping three song encore that included ‘Dogsday’, the beloved ‘There’s No Such Place’ and most excellent closer, which makes a most excellent use of the cowbell, ‘Owen’s Lament’.

For almost two crowded hours, these five talented musicians held captive everybody in the room with distinctive vocals, thought provoking lyrics and good old time rock n roll.

Augie March has well and truly returned. Happy Halloween, indeed.

View the full photo gallery from the show here.

Setlist