The Harpoons’ played some fairly precise appropriations of ’60s doo-wop (think The Shirelles, The Ronettes) and their Phil Spector arrangements generated a pleasant vibe. Their sound was boosted by the compounding of voices and they could all sing. In addition to receiving harmonised support, the central female vocalist delegated lead duties to the male guitarist and bass player on occasion. However, regardless of which member was presiding over the song it didn’t feel like there was much heart in The Harpoons. No matter how well executed an homage is, it’s difficult to make a strong connection with an essentially superficial display. Also, although they seemed ‘nice’ their stage manner didn’t project confidence and things fell down in between songs as their self-consciousness showed. Nevertheless, it was far from offensive and a pleasant enough way to ease in the steadily growing crowd.
Headliner Fraser A Gorman also has a very well-devised sound. The whole show suggested Fraser has paid detailed attention to country/Americana particulars. His voice has a deep crooning calm and his acoustic guitar playing follows the demarcations of age-old country tropes. Gorman’s onstage associates, Big Harvest, included Eagle and The Worm leader Jarrad Brown on double bass and King Gizzard head-honcho Stu Mackenzie playing brushed snare drum percussion (and suitably dressed in a pair of overalls). An electric guitarist and a violinst completed the quintet, who formed a horizontal strip across the front of the stage, which is an advantage of not having a drumkit or big amplifiers to correspond with. Big Harvest is an apt name for the fresh mountain spring sounds conjured and everyone performed their parts very well. The five-part vocal coordination and violin contributions were the most outstanding element of the arrangements.
Gorman’s banter was jocular, offering whimsical remarks about family members in the room and singing The Weight by The Band when working at a fish’n’chip shop. As a song-writer Fraser A Gorman definitely shows promise and it’s evident that a real affection, rather than novelty or gimmickry, has provoked him to pursue music of this ilk. However, the aforementioned attention to detail often fell short when it came to distinct or entirely engaging songs. The ideas were presented with reasonable authenticity but many songs started to lag once the formula became apparent.
This said, it was an enjoyable show and when the band broke into a barn-stomping jig or a lovely choral five-part (such as on new single Last Four Dollars) the people twirling on the dance floor affirmed the satisfaction of the almost full Northcote band room. The amount of nodding heads was about enough to dispel the worry that the tunes might only be competent derivations, rather than innovative crusades.
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
LOVED: The amount of fellow Melbourne musicians in the crowd.
HATED: No one being able to tell me who originally recorded Crimson And Clover.
DRANK: Whiskey, seeking some truth.
