In just finishing high school, I feel as though one extremely important lesson had been left out of my secondary education; acoustic guitars + harmonicas + rich vocal harmonies = a Friday night well spent.
In other words, screw schoolies! Within the abhorrent midst of the HSC, I often found myself using the phrase: “C’mon Pippa, you only have to study the skeletal features of Australopithecus afarensis once more before Josh Pyke round 3!”.
Australian troubadours Josh Pyke and Bob Evans have embarked on a 10 year anniversary gig entitled; ’Another Evening with Josh Pyke and Bob Evans’. Both artists have really grown and developed over the past 10 years, with Pyke releasing his fifth studio album ‘But All For These Shrinking Hearts’ in 2015, and Bob Evans’ [Kevin Mitchell] earlier release of ‘Car Boot Sale’ in June this year. Myself although more familiar with Pyke’s captivating lyricism and harmonic style, didn’t take long to immerse myself in the wonderful world that is Bob Evans; and so the evening truly did become my pot of gold at the end of high school.
I’m going to say this once; if you are familiar in pulling the muscle in your tongue because you had the music up really loud in your car, whilst belting out an orchestral interlude to the Josh Pyke and SSO release, or the stringed motif in Bob Evan’s ‘Nowhere Without You’, you know you’re listening to the good stuff. Wow that was a long sentence. In short, if you can risk looking like an idiot at a red light in peak hour, you’re doing life right.
Accumulating an absolutely wonderful setlist, adding in some new unheard tracks, some older stuff from the pair’s joint band ‘The Basement Birds’, and of course bringing back the classics us fans know and love. A beautifully crafted repertoire paired with lighthearted banter perfectly displayed the duo’s comfortability with the audience and venue, it almost felt as though you were listening to your favourite artists in your lounge room to be honest, just needed a lap dog and a blanket and you’d be set!
There’s seriously nothing I love more than hearing the back stories as to why/how/when different tracks where written, or why certain songs can have such an impact on whoever is performing them- I mean thats what music is about, right? [WARNING: WORD VOMIT AHEAD] Talking to mum on the way home, we spoke about how we associate different pieces of music or albums to a particular time/event in our lives; I for one will always associate Jeff Buckley’s 1994 album ‘Grace’ with getting my first horse. Weird, yes; but thats how I enjoy music- its shaping sound to fit an emotion, story or feeling. In the case of Josh Pyke, who’s music I fundamentally grew up with, will forever be pinpointed to a specific place, person or event. Similarly the music of Bob Evans makes me want to get in the car with the windows rolled down and just drive- there’s something that feels so much like home and so familiar about it. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t tear up a little bit when he performed ‘Don’t You Think It’s Time?’.
In returning to Friday’s gig, the way both Pyke and Evans communicated with the audience was truly a special thing; gaining these similar insights from two people whom you admire greatly, was wonderful. Pyke’s cover of Bob Evans’ ‘Sadness & Whiskey’ was a clear example of this!! [“If I didn’t stink of sadness and whiskey, could you marry me?”] I think thats why I prefer smaller venues like the Factory Theatre- depending on who was performing, if there is no real connection with the audience, you might as well stay home with your headphones in instead.
Speaking of venues and audiences, The Factory theatre was in my opinion, an awesome choice! With 3 small levels/steps with a bar at the back and a strictly ‘no alcohol’ section at the very front of the venue, allowed for a truly enjoyable night. Visibility was outstanding, didn’t really matter where you ended up as there would always be a small gap between the swaying heads of the rightly un-shameful audience. The sound quality was terrifically clear, even with what seemed to be a MIDI controlled keyboard which was plugged into none other than an iPhone! I mean that’s pretty amazing! Although I’m sure everyone now knows their passcode… In saying this, one moment came up during the set that made me think; with regards to Facebook followers, Pyke spoke about his most popular demographic being females between the age of 27-33 [or thereabouts]- looking around the venue on Friday night, it was clear to see that both Pyke’s and Evans’ music has affected so much more than that! It was seriously awesome to see the under 18s neon green wristbands speckled around the venue- there’s a whole new generation of kids that are growing up to this music as I did, which I found truly special.
The hardest part about writing this, is choosing which songs in particular to focus on from the setlist. Maybe I’ll just continue to write about them all until the duo’s next reunion tour…
Starting with Bob Evans, track 2 on the night was 2006 released ‘Nowhere Without You’. Performing the song together, Pyke played the iconic alternating keyboard riff whilst Evans opened with an almost bluegrass influenced harmonica motif, which also added this sense of a minor tonal overshadow. I love harmonicas. Especially when played in such a way that they roll and bend over pitches, instead of the harsh/jagged melodic contour which can also be associated with the tone colour of the instrument. Also, not much else excites me more than someone who can play guitar and harmonica simultaneously- being not the most graceful of people, I can appreciate this talent, as one who has the ability to injure themselves whilst getting dressed of a morning.
One of the things that I really love about the studio recording of this song is the pulsing rhythms sustained within the chorus and how the track follows on to the classic call and response section. A relatively straightforward rhythmic drive gives the song a sense of harmonic space in a way which is filled by a stringed motif in the original release. On Friday night however, this allowance of musical space was filled with rich harmonies curtesy of Josh Pyke and thick vocal doubling supplied by the audience. This was actually a common theme throughout the entire night- I mean, who hasn’t sung along as loudly as possible to these acoustic bangers? Especially at a concert- the feeling of belting out some of your favourite tracks is indescribable! Bottom line, ‘Nowhere Without You’ was a complete ripper to see live!
Leading onto my next top pick of the night was Pyke’s solo performance of ‘Goldmines’. Being the second of Pyke’s solo performances on the night, it was definitely a stand out to me- I reckon Josh Pyke is the Tim Winton of music and ‘Goldmines’ is a clear example of this. A lot of Pyke’s repertoire is quite upbeat and optimistic in tone, however the lyrics can often portray a deeper meaning of something quite haunting or sorrowful which I find to linger long after the song has finished. I speak again about the meaning behind songs and how knowing these can often draw you impossibly closer to them- while this can bring moments of great joy and wonder, it can also provide the feeling that you’re not always alone. I think this is extremely prevalent in a lot of Pyke’s and Evans’ compositions, solely due to the familiar and somewhat candid imagery held within their lyrics. For example, I’ve been singing along to ‘Memories & Dust’ for years now and yet I only truly understood it’s meaning at the beginning of this year, as somebody who had experienced a similar tragedy. It was a horrifically bittersweet moment.
Returning back to ‘Goldmines’, what I truly adore about this track is how impactful the lyrics are and how stark the message of the song is. A minor centred guitar riff perfectly supports the seemingly eerie tone of the lyrics. The clarity of the chord progressions left sufficient space for listener’s to really hear each word, which might I add, were ornamented with gorgeous vocal flips. Let us not forget the impact of a good ol’ stomp box. The inclusion of the stomp box in the second verse added a really cool rhythmic theme, accenting the off beats of the track, which in turn added this sense of false syncopation in that the rhythmic values were even and ‘correct’ [1 2 3 4] yet it had this tone of unease which strongly contributed to the overriding lyricism of the song. Let us not forget the wonderful ‘B’ section of the track- the chromatically descending vocal motif terrifically showcased Pyke’s awesome, buttery vocal tone. Beautiful!
Following closely after in the second half of the concert was Bob Evans’ solo performance of ‘Wonderful You’. You know those songs that you don’t even have to sing to, but you can just smile and enjoy every second? That describes ‘Wonderful You’ to a T. An absolutely faultless performance, bloody gorgeous. The intricate fingerpicking progression supported the lyrics extremely well, tying the entire song together which just made it impossible not to shamelessly sway as myself and many others did. I think because the style of the track is quite drawn back in its beauty, the Factory Theatre fell silent, watching with what could only be described as a fusion of pure awe and most likely some sort of personal reflection- whilst a love song, I couldn’t stop thinking about my dog… maybe thats because I’m 17 with a maturity level of negative 2. Either way the 2013 released track was exquisite live, and highlighted Bob Evans’ truly stunning vocals which are rich with folk tones and soft indie rock vibes.
Now I’m pulling out the big guns- towards the end of the night, Bob Evans covered Josh Pyke’s ‘Lines on Palms’. Let me just say this; it was bloody awesome. I would also like to know where Bob Evans got his christmas guitar lights from? So, we’ve got this cracker of a song that everybody knows the lyrics to, the amps are up loud, there’s novelty guitar lights, superb harmonies and the whole performance is just really tight- what else did they bring out do you ask? The Proclaimers. Thats right. Within the classic driving guitar strums, all of a sudden there’s a cheeky grin followed soon after by some suppressed giggles and then bam! ‘I’m Gonna Be’ makes an appearance much to the excitement of the audience who seamlessly transitioned into belting out The Proclaimers’ 1988 single, ornamenting said transition with laughs and “oh my god!”’s. Continuing on to the absolute classic call and response section, where the audience [myself included] had no issue in sustaining the fun that both Pyke and Evans were obviously having.
Ridiculous? Yes. Worth it? Hell yeah.
All in all,
I just want to thank both Josh Pyke and Bob Evans for the absolutely beautiful music I’ve grown up with and was able to hear live last Friday. Unforgettable.
Also, I think both of these artists should have a competition to see who can guess the song based off of the fret of the capo, because my mum is sick of my unfailing predictions…
You can find Bob Evans here: http://www.bobevans.com.au
You can find Josh Pyke here: http://www.joshpyke.com
Set List
Make You Happy
Nowhere Without You
Forever Song
Don’t Wanna Grow Up Anymore
Hollering Hearts
Desperate
What the Future Holds
Someone So Much
The Summer
Lighthouse Song
Goldmines
Friend
Wonderful You
Race to the Bottom
Private Education
Sadness & Whiskey
Leeward Side
Pasha Bulker
Lines on Palms
Happy Tears
Memories and Dust
Don’t You Think It’s Time?
Middle of the Hill
Encore
24. Not the One
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