Chet Faker. Vance Joy. JP Klipspringer. One wonders what they put in the holy water at St Kevin’s College in Melbourne, because in just a few years, two of these artists have dominated locally and internationally and the other one is set on the same course.
Launching his debut EP, Drip Dry, a palpable intensity permeated through the packed Toff bandroom. Weeks before, the film clip to the EP’s debut single, Bury Me, was quietly uploaded on YouTube and soon after several preeminent industry blogs praised it heavily. Twenty-thousand hits later and the EP was officially buzzing.
Following support acts Slow Dancer, SirJoseph and Nearly Oratorio, the lights were killed and some strange, otherworldly gargling singing echoed over the speakers for a few long minutes. Klipspringer, it seems, is not one to ignore foreplay.
Joined by Max Pamieta on drums, James McAsey on keys and Pablo Guardiani on bass, Klipsringer strolled on stage to riotous applause and opened with the sweet acoustic gem Phat Controller – a starring track on the EP. The song was a perfect opener for the EP launch, with the opening lyrics lending themselves to the EP title: “Leave you on/The beach alone/To shake it off/Drip dry your bones.”
Phat Controller was trailed by EP sister track Anastasia – a softly sung piece accompanied by even softer piano – and brilliant covers of Big Star’s September Gurls and Postal Service’s Such Great Height. However, it was only when Klipspringer launched into Bring You Home that his true strength became apparent. Klipspringer possesses an acute sensibility when translating his music to a live setting, allowing his sound to evolve into something completely different to the record while maintaining its essence. This surprises the audience. It infuses intrigue. Bring You Home on record synthesises Klipspringer’s soulful hum with a poppy, electro melody. Live, however, this track blasted an aggressive, almost dubstep-like sound – the audience left speechless, unable to singalong to the powerful “oh why, oh my, oh why” chorus.
Saving his best for last, Klipspringer concluded the evening with Bury Me. Each chorus was sung with more and more passion until the gripping, explosive coda. To us, Bury Me is just a song, but judging by his onstage emotionality, it’s clear that the lyrics are very close to him. It’s moving to watch, and when you listen to Bury Me after witnessing Klipspringer bare all on stage, the song becomes that little more alive.
Klipspringer is the creative force behind bands such as The Zanes, and perhaps the only criticism I have is that his oeuvre is so spread out across several monikers that his output can be hard to track. But there is little to fault the music itself. Dynamic, touching and transfixing – there’s just something beautiful about JP Klipspringer.
BY JAMARCUS RUSSELL
Loved: JP Klipspringer’s daring approach to live renditions
Hated: That weird intro music at the start went on for too long
Drank: Not enough HEYOOOOO!
