Review: The New Pornographers at Melbourne Recital Centre on February 21, 2020
The New Pornographers last toured Australia more than nine years ago. The two Melbourne venues they played on that occasion have now either changed name or no longer host live music. A lot’s happened for the band in that period as well.
For starters, towards the end of tonight’s show leader Carl Newman pointed out he didn’t have a kid the last time they came to Australia. “And next week my son is turning eight in Australia,” he said, visibly incredulous.
Fatherhood hasn’t slowed Newman’s productivity, mind. The New Pornos have released three albums since the 2010 visit. And three of their best – 2014’s Brill Bruisers, 2017’s Whiteout Conditions and last year’s In the Morse Code of Brake Lights. The Vancouver band have now made eight albums in total, beginning with 2000’s Mass Romantic. They’ve never let much time elapse between releases, but they sound more energised than ever on this latest trio of releases.
Watch: The New Pornographers – Brill Bruisers (live)
To bring us up to speed, the seven-member collective booked two nights in Melbourne’s pristine Recital Centre. There was no support act and the band skipped the Recital Centre’s customary mid-show interval. That left us with a 22 song setlist followed by a three-song encore.
The New Pornographers are critical favourites and now in their third decade of operation. However, they don’t play intricate orchestral music, which made the choice of venue somewhat curious. Under the direction of Newman, NPs specialise in driving guitar pop, with emphasis firmly on the latter adjective. The dignified acoustics of the Recital Centre only served to amplify the band’s melodic authority.
Certain selections from the NPs’ repertoire sound like they were written for Garbage or Impossible Princess-era Kylie. Likewise, there are songs that possess the sort of melodic acuity and thrusting guitar riffs you’d expect to find on a Thin Lizzy or Cheap Trick comp. But what separates them from acts of this ilk is the absence of ulterior motives.
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Watch: The New Pornographers – High Ticket Attractions
Topping the pops was never the name of the game for Newman, who formed the supergroup of Vancouver musos at the tail end of the 1990s. The goal was simple – to lead with melody and booming rhythms, while making sure to feel every last phrase and vocal harmony.
There’s no defined lead vocalist in the band; Newman is the primary songwriter but Neko Case handles the main melodies just as often. Case and Newman’s voices are supported by those of violinist Simi Stone and keyboardist Kathryn Calder. The weariless gusto shown by the four vocalists essentially removed the barrier between stage and audience that a venue like this can’t help but erect.
Bands that sound really good straight away often lose appeal in a hurry. The theory being that if it’s all so easy to like, perhaps it lacks depth. But tonight’s show put this notion to the test. NPs ingratiated themselves early, with the multi-vocal attack of ‘Falling Down the Stairs of Your Smile’ sounding near-impeccable at the top of the setlist.
After half a dozen songs, however, you began to question whether they mightn’t run out of steam. Cue tender numbers like ‘My Rights Versus Yours’, the Vampire Weekend-aping ‘Higher Beams’, and the early Dan Bejar cut ‘Testament to Youth in Verse’, and the feeling was more bemusement than exhaustion – just where do they keep finding all these melodies? And could they please keep them coming?
