It’s night number two of three sell-out shows at the Northcote Social Club for young Sydneysider and maker of heartfelt computer music, Oliver Tank, and he’s brought along a swag of special guests each evening to welcome him home from a jaunt overseas.
The young men from Melbourne, I’lls (pronounced ‘aisles’) are a tentative 3-piece with an extra player on stage to liven up their gentle, ambient melodies. Lead singer Simon Lam has a quiet, too-much-time-spent-in-the-bedroom, endearing charm to his banter, including nervously admitting the debut of a new track “could all turn to shit.” They play a mostly tight set and just when you think your heart could beat no slower along with their placid beats, an unexpected but welcome climax will surprise you and restart the blood flow. An energetic jam closes their time slot with a lasting impression on the excitable and packed band room.
Arguably the king of this dream-inducing genre of music rapidly gaining popularity by dudes who stay up ’til the wee hours creating swooping, swelling soundscapes, Oliver Tank fits the image of what one would expect a creator of such tunes would look like. A mop of shaggy dark curls, a 10 o’clock shadow and a loosely buttoned shirt greets the cheering crowd. “Hi guys, how’re you going? My name is Oliver Tank and I’m gonna play some music for you.”
“Up All Night” opens up the can of smooth, spacy beats with its spine-shivering bass and echoing chimes immediately entrancing the audience. We’re lulled into a deep stupor from start to finish of this roughly hour-long set; any longer would turn the evening into a case of “too much of a good thing.”
Tank often finishes his songs with an abrupt, giggly “thanks!” and a big grin – as if thinking, ‘did I really just play that?’ It pulls you back to Earth from wherever you floated off to, but the loop station master prepares you for another daydream with each new song. His use of auto tune, however, is unnecessary; rather than adding to a song, it simply acts as an annoying distraction from Tank’s strong repertoire.
“Past Present Future” envelops wall-to-wall in a deep bass, while “Embrace” introduces fellow dreamer and collaborator Fawn Myers, with her ghostly vocals blaring through the speakers. Here is when Tank lets loose and shreds a few power chords on his electric guitar, showing far more emotion than when he sings; as he tends to rely on his rich vocals to do most of the work.
Every insomniac’s favourite song, “I Can’t Sleep”, is the perfect example of how to use a sound bite effectively. We hear legendary skateboarder Rodney Mullen in glitches layered over pretty bell noises and hovering synth, “I can’t wait to wake up in the morning to try something new. A lot of the time, I can’t sleep because I can’t wait to try something new. How many people ever really experience that feeling often? And that’s why I skate.”
Tank puts his signature spin on “Beautiful” and “Drop It Like It’s Hot” from his hero Snoop Dogg and is thoroughly entertaining, if not a little sonically confusing, for the crowd. We’re treated to new song, “Emotions”, which isn’t a far cry from what we’ve come to love from Oliver Tank but a fresh tune is always welcome, and old favourite “Help You Breathe”, where Tank manages to capture a universal feeling (“Music is like air to me and I just want to help you breathe”) for the pacified crowd.
Tank eschews leaving the stage for an encore; instead he remains behind his sound desk without a shred of awkwardness to perform the first song he uploaded to music sharing website, Soundcloud: “Dreams of Fish and Waterfalls” garners an appreciative response from long-time fans in the room.
He invites everybody out for a drink, “if you know anywhere to go on a Wednesday night!” and to say g’day after the show. He’s one of the most genuine 22-year-olds floating around this business and, coupled with his addictive night time tunes and huge smile, Tank’s drowsy magnetism will continue to melt listeners.
– Anne-Louise Hill
