A Friday night well spent is in fact a plate of salami, gin and a Bob Evans concert.
" The entire live set proved evidence of Bob Evan’s ability to seamlessly traverse through country, blues, folk and rock genres... "
You know that feeling you get when you’re so excited that you can’t physically stop and take a breather? I honestly don’t know how I managed not to accidentally throw a coffee over some poor customer at work yesterday… I think its just the idea of seeing an awesome musician in such a comfortable and unique environment that can provoke such thorough joy!
Under the alias of Bob Evans, Australian folk rock musician Kevin Mitchell is currently nearing the end of the second week of his Lonesome Highways Solo tour here in NSW. After eagerly purchasing tickets for the co-headline reprisal tour with Josh Pyke at the end of last year, I was absolutely thrilled at the prospect of seeing Bob Evans again in concert- especially after being bribed with the ‘Zeroes to Heroes’ EP, which I might add is one of the most gorgeous little albums I’ve listened to. I think most of my favourite albums are those which have a context that is so open to an audience. What I mean by this is, I love finding back stories and information about the music I listen to, it enables this sense of closeness that I find to be so interesting. The ‘Zeroes to Heroes’ EP is exactly this. This release is essentially a collection of home demo recordings of songs which never made it onto previous records; however the songs themselves I find to be each and individually noteworthy, it’s hard to imagine why they didn’t find a spot! I would have loved to have heard ‘Tired of Talking’ and ‘Start Again’ live, but I suppose this gives me another reason to go along to the next regional tour, right?
I just want to touch on something really quickly- the Camelot Lounge. Oh my god. As someone who loves the rapport/intimacy of smaller venues, this is seriously one to check out! Having only recently turned 18, the accessibility of these venues has become far easier [I guess it also soothes the wound of having to sit in the gutter next to this years 2017 Laneway Festival to try hear the bands]. The Camelot Lounge is open to all ages [however those under 18 are needed to be accompanied by an adult] which makes it extra special- how I wish I’d known about this place sooner! Last night’s concert was held at the upper stage level of the Marrickville building, with a bar and food available as well which was fitting with the whole atmosphere of the lounge. Although filled to the brim with tables and chairs, visibility was excellent throughout the entire night [can vouch as I sat literally at the back table- closest to the pizza and churros of course]. The [little bit weird] camel ornaments basically filled all vacant space that the audience didn’t occupy, however I must add that they did spark some interesting conversations with other ticket holders.
Lovely people, awesome food, cheap drinks- what else do you want in a venue? Refraining myself from speaking any further about the pizza or the fact that your order was sung back to you at collection, I should probably touch on the other aspects of the Camelot Lounge that made it an incredible venue for live music- the sound was terrific. The relatively low ceilings and long layout rendered the area perfect for amplification. I’m not talking stadium level, blast your ears of amplification- the sound quality and balancing was impeccably clear through both acts.
This leads me to the support performance by Australian singer/songwriter Bree De Rome. Her effortless performance showcased her almost vintage bluesy vibes whilst simultaneously highlighting her simplistic yet effective engagement of the audience. Her guitar worked brilliantly in complementing her voice, offering harmonic support while her slow vibratos filled the room. Her set list incorporated a mixture of songs from her previously released EPs [from when she “had a fringe”] and as someone who hasn’t really heard her stuff before, really enjoyed it and am looking forward to her next release, without a fringe!
Later on in the night, the headlining Bob Evans appeared at the stage and boy, talk about a cracking set list! Whilst still holding on for some of the tracks from ‘Zeroes to Heroes’ to make an appearance, you just could not be disappointed in the slightest in the arrangement of material that we heard. An eclectic blend of tracks from debut albums up until the most recent 2016 ‘Car Boot Sale’, I honestly didn’t want the set to end. Branching off into a little bit of word vomit here – when I was looking for my next horse as soon as I finished school, my trainer had said that I’ll know that I’ve found the right one if he feels like home. Sure enough, after months of searching, I finally found the horse that gave me that feeling. It was like a big breath out in that I had found someone that I felt I had known for a very long time- it’s this sense of familiarity. Whilst this may be a very strange anecdote to some, I reckon it explains a lot of why I like the music that I like. Case in point, tracks released by Bob Evans feel like home. Yep, that’s the reason why myself, and pretty much everyone else in that room, spent the entire night either smiling from ear to ear or singing along [in my case, in between bites of salami or churros…].
Ok now here comes the hardest part. After completing like 6 years of music in high school, I found that I would have to apologise to my teacher before handing in any assignment because I had just gone over the top talking about every single detail possible. So I’m going to [try] to limit myself to talking about my top 3 or 4 tracks. Now the even harder part, choosing my top 3 or 4 tracks from last night.
Good lord ok.
This may or may not be cheating, but as an overall statement- I love harmonicas. I think that became quite evident in my household when I was given one as a birthday present; such a shame that I am really quite incapable of multi-tasking and not dropping things. It’s safe to say that it thrills me to hear someone play harmonica and guitar at the same time- yes I’m going to bring it up again- this is a true talent that I can appreciate, as someone who can injure themselves whilst putting shoes on. Tangents aside, the harmonica does inject a sense of roots/blues influence into the folk rock sound that is Bob Evans. Interestingly, in many cases as heard last night, the addition of harmonica instrumental sections can also have this jubilant, uplifting almost country vibe about it while equally these sections can also have a hauntingly lonely sense about them. This idea I think is noted in the opening theme of 2006 released ‘Nowhere Without You’ as performed last night- the harmonica bouncing and bending around a sustained melodic motif that seemed to me to almost pay homage to the stringed intro in the original studio recording. The instrument itself played by Mitchell has an innate ability to ground an overall mood or emotion to each track.
Another song I want to briefly touch on was track number 8 on the night. After a brilliant start to the concert, it was time for any special requests. What seemed like a common theme throughout the Lonesome Highways Tour according to Bob Evans was the interest in a particular song entitled ‘Ode To My Car’. Released on 2003 Album ‘Suburban Kid’, audiences learnt that the song was never a metaphor for some past relationship- it was about Bob Evans’ car. Simple. Doused with a bit of cheeky banter and my own case of the giggles, the song ran its course. It was however the way that Bob Evans could communicate with the audience so casually that made it such a cool little part of the night. I reckon that’s probably what I loved most about the concert- the environment was made so comfortable through Evans’ entire presence, I mean it’s not every day that an audience is treated to a pretty in depth guitar tuning session. If I wasn’t singing along, I was laughing. It was fun and relaxed, but simultaneously to be able to witness and hear some really incredible music not only being played, but enjoyed by every other person sitting in that room, was fantastic! The same goes for the last track before the encore, ‘Matterfact’. We had ‘Rick the Reliable’ up there lending a hand which ended up transitioning the 2016 released song into a rendition of ‘Grease is the word’. Um, anything that even remotely relates to Grease is a dead set winner in my books.
Ok now focusing on my top picks of the night [this is going to be hard]; lets start with track 3 – ‘Don’t Wanna Grow Up’. Such an underrated song in my opinion, the simple rhythms on the guitar that follow this really cool minor chord progression in the verse support the more or less wistful lyricism of the track brilliantly. Not to mention that smooth falsetto, crikey it was beautiful! The song is superbly effective in conveying its meaning and sitting in the Camelot lounge last night made it extremely hard not to smile. The track wears its heart on its sleeve and seeing it performed live was incredible.
Returning to my favourite tangent ever, this lead single from 2013 album ‘Familiar Stranger’, is a perfect example of how music can weave its way down so far that it can create this sense of connection between audience and sound. Meaning, who has ever wanted time to slow down, even for a short while? Even at 18, I know I certainly have. A somewhat common concept to comprehend, doesn’t change the indescribable feeling you can get when you can share a common thought or emotion and is then forever preserved through music. I think that’s pretty bloody cool and definitely something that was highlighted at least for me, during last night’s concert.
Alright that’s one down. My next pick of the night came shortly after ‘Don’t Wanna Grow Up Anymore’ at number 6. Released in 2016 under the ‘Car Boot Sale’ album came ‘Cold Comfort’. Being one of my favourite tracks from this record, Bob Evans did not disappoint last night. Through the relaxed yet effective harmonic support his guitar provided and rich folk tones of Mitchell’s tenor, the stripped back version of the track truly pinpointed the exquisite nature of Bob Evans’ compositional style and lyricism. Truly stunning.
The entire live set proved evidence of Bob Evan’s ability to seamlessly traverse through country, blues, folk and rock genres, however none other than track 9 ‘Pasha Bulker’ showed this more clearly. I mean as soon as I saw that harmonica holder come out, I knew this was going to be a ripper! Written for 2009 released album ‘Goodnight Bull Creek!’, this track I believe took inspiration from this massive container ship that ran aground on Nobby’s Beach in Newcastle in 2007 after a storm. The track as performed last night began with a soaring harmonica line which again bounced and tangled playfully on top of it’s own minor tonal pattern. The eerie foundation of the track was played out as Evans introduced an awesome strumming pattern- almost muting the strings every second down strum created this rhythmic groove that really drove the song forward. The chorus however showed a lot of Jebediah influence I think in terms of rhythmic drive all before returning to this indie rock tone. Very cool! Lots of love for this track- as an anxious mess for a lot of the time, the sustained metaphor of running aground or getting stuck somewhere was strangely comforting to hear in a musical setting. Disregarding the fear of sounding repetitive, that harmonica coda was outstanding!
Next comes ‘Ron Sexsmith’. Not only is this track playful and humorous within its original studio recording, it was lifted to a whole new level when performed live. The music itself was brilliant, but I digress again to the comfortability that Evans showed with the audience. I touched on this idea in my last article from the Evening with Bob Evans and Josh Pyke Tour [in particular with regards to ‘Sadness and Whiskey’]- that I find there to be high importance and value to lie within a performer and their relationship with their audience. If I just wanted to listen to studio recordings, I would have stayed home with my headphones. The exhilarating and down right lovely thing I find about live music is the fact that everyone is present. It’s not a fake environment and the people who have created the art that lead you to buying tickets in the first place, are really standing right in front of you, being normal people. Granted Kevin Mitchell is probably naturally hilarious in general, the fact that he seemed so genuinely happy to be there was a definite highlight of the night. He explained a lot about the inspiration to this particular track and these bits of live shows can sometimes be the best parts!
Just a quick mention to the whistling- in relation to the amount of wine consumed, I reckon it got a hell of a lot better toward the conclusion of the night. Almost like an exponential graph?
The concert came to a close after Bob Evans’ last performance ‘Me and My Friend’. Gorgeously plucked on the guitar, the lullaby-esque melodic line of the vocals seemed fitting to conclude a night of wonderful music.
A big thank you to Bob Evans for such an incredible night! I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next one!
Set List:
Happy Tears
Nowhere Without You
Don’t Wanna Grow Up Anymore
Someone So Much
Friend
Cold Comfort
Hand Me Downs
Ode To My Car
Pasha Bulker [Where Did I Go Wrong?]
Old News
Wonderful You
Don’t You Think It’s Time?
Turn
Matterfact [Ft. Rick the Reliable + Grease Cameo]
Encore
Ron Sexsmith
Nothing’s Gonna Save Us From Ourselves
Sadness and Whiskey
Me and My Friend
You can find Bob Evans here: http://www.bobevans.com.au
Comments