“We made a new record so we could have new songs to play.” From anyone else, this dry pronouncement could seem a touch superfluous, but when it’s coming from Lou Barlow, it’s easy to see the funny side.
The musician, perhaps best known as the bass player of Dinosaur Jr, is here tonight as part of Sebadoh, the long-running ‘side project’ that Barlow co-founded way back in 1986.
With the release of their latest album Defend Yourself last year, the band delighted long-time fans who may have feared the group’s output was finite – and given the 14-year interval between their last full-length record (1999’s The Sebadoh), it’s not surprising that the band seem pretty pleased to have some new material to play.
Of course, judging by the preponderance of elder statesmen in the ample Corner Hotel crowd, it’s obvious that many are here to revel in the nostalgia of Sebadoh’s heyday records. Indeed, it’s probably the conundrum of most stalwart groups – the fans, as they say, tend to like their old stuff better than their new stuff.
Leave it to the inimitable Barlow and co to buck the trend and go on to prove that their new recordings more than hold their own against their much loved back catalogue.
‘Arbitrary High’ is the first foray into the band’s more recent material (the track was released in 2012 as part of the six-song Secret EP) and it’s a catchy, pop punk number illuminated by some seriously gutsy guitar.
Likewise, the slower ‘Love You Here’ from Defend Yourself is also brought to life through the group’s live performance, building momentum and culminating with a great guitar solo from Barlow.
Singer/guitarist Jason Loewenstein introduces the rocking ‘My Drugs’ with a tongue-in-cheek ramble (“This is a song about drugs…don’t do them, unless you’re going to do a lot of them”) and ‘I Will’ is a clear crowd favourite from the new album, eliciting many shouted requests from the audience. When Barlow does launch into the song, the raw melancholy of the lyrics is offset beautifully by the purposeful playing from Loewenstein and drummer Bob D’Amico.
As the generously lengthy set unfolds, the group do an excellent job of doling out new and old in equal measure, a method that is enthusiastically received by the audience.
The band seem more than happy to field requests from crowd members, and energetic, up-tempo versions of ‘Magnet’s Coil’ and ‘License To Confuse’ are gifted early in the set, while a clean, straight-up rendition of ‘Rebound’ lasts all of two glorious minutes.
Arguably, the only misstep the group make is their take on ‘Soul And Fire’, which is played just a touch too briskly, hindering the somber, bittersweet loveliness of the song to shine through.
Barlow and Loewenstein function on stage like a comfortable middle-aged couple, switching diplomatically between bass and guitar-playing duties and alternating lead vocal spots throughout the set. There’s an affable mood that is underscored by Barlow’s wry humour. “This is really disrupting the momentum of our incredible rock show,” he quips as he spends a few moments tightening the strings of his guitar.
The near seamless flow between new and old could well be put down to the phenomenal drumming of relative newcomer D’Amico. The artist plays with flair and formidable skill, whether he is breathing new energy into older tracks like ‘Got It’ with some tricky beats to match Loewenstein’s squawking guitar, or proving the vitality of new number like the excellent ‘Keep The Boy Alive’ through a flurry of bass drum and furious hi hat.
‘On Fire’ from 1996’s Harmacy is rapturously received as the first song of the group’s encore (prefaced by Barlow’s joke, “Okay, this is the start of our encore – we’re not going to go off the stage and just stand there and the come back out, we’re too old”) and ‘Skull’ is also a welcome inclusion, rounding out a set that has been justifiably steeped in Bakesale classics.
It’s been a long 14 years between drinks for the band, but with new material this robust and a live performance so engaging, Sebadoh have stamped themselves as a band who just seem to get better with age.
