The music inside The Northcote Social Club tonight was as inspiring as the weather outside was not. The Hired Guns opened to a crowd of friends, partners and the odd Lizard Train fan.
The music inside The Northcote Social Club tonight was as inspiring as the weather outside was not. The Hired Guns opened to a crowd of friends, partners and the odd Lizard Train fan. By the end of the set, the audience had swelled ten-fold, imbibing The Hired Guns’ laconic brilliance. Each of the members a seasoned player, The Hired Guns are, as guitarist Adam Kyle once remarked, like The Band without the drugs and dysfunction. The mood swings from sad country, to Memphis powerpop, to good ol’ fashioned southern rock ‘n’ roll. The Hired Guns remain a hidden gem in a glittering local music landscape.
It’s unlikely that Harry Howard will ever completely emerge from his late brother Rowland’s considerable shadow – notwithstanding that Harry has a musical pedigree that defies his relatively anonymous local profile. Howard’s new band, The Near Death Experience (with Dave Graney and Clare Moore on duty in the rhythm section) blend the obnoxious punk rock roots of Johnny Thunders with the angular post-punk of Gang Of Four, infused with the slick pop sensibility with which Howard has been affected throughout his career. Every song is a killer, every riff memorable; on keyboards (and a ‘60s electronic device apparently made popular by Rolf Harris some years ago) Edwina Preston offered jagged melodies sharp enough to take out an eye.
And what do you say about the enigma of Black Cab? At the very moment when North Korea, the last remnant of Cold War ideology, was preparing to remind the world of its dysfunctional presence, Black Cab were illustrating the power of communitarian discipline when channelled for artistic ends. After a smattering of tracks from Call Signs – including the delectable Black Angel – Monique Brumby joins the band for Sexy Polizei , and stays for an enchanting rendition of Patti Smith’s Dancing Barefoot. Ron Peno appears from the wings for Ghost Anthems, all writing limbs, evocative facial expressions and natural performance charisma.
The show ends with a double hit from Black Cab’s 1960s repertoire. On Summer Of Love, from Altamont Diaries, Black Cab offer a glimpse into the impending decline of love into hate; the cover of The Stooges’ Loose lays bare the seedy, seething and violent spirit that threatens the heart of optimism. Is there a better band than Black Cab at their peak? Quite possibly not.
