Compelled to push the envelope, he has made a distinct point of constantly innovating his sound throughout his long career.
He tirelessly searches for new techniques, approaches and technologies to invigorate his ever-evolving catalogue.
On the other hand, Jack White is an artist clearly haunted by the spirit of American music, forever drawing from the wellsprings of blues, country and rock and roll with great reverence and respect.
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
View this post on Instagram
For an artist whose musical roots extend as far back as the 19th century and yet whose sights remain set firmly on the future, one could scarcely have selected a more fitting location for a Jack White show than Victoria’s very own town out of time, Ballarat. An area that for the most part exhibits architecture from Victoria’s gold rush era, Ballarat has become the third largest inland city in Australia and yet remains somewhere you’d expect to be neglected by international touring artists. However, with a little help from the state government, Jack White and his ferocious four piece band rolled into the Victorian highlands last friday with their signature degree of focus and intent.
Following the dirgey cacophony of rowdy rock and roll provided by opening act River of Snakes, White opened the show with three blistering cuts from his new record ‘No Name’, lighting up the crowd with his profoundly charismatic stage presence. From the get-go it was clear that White was there to perform his new material, which the ecstatic crowd lapped up enthusiastically.
The No Name tour has consisted largely of small theatres and rock clubs, venues half the size of those that White could comfortably sell out around the world.
One would imagine this choice was made purely for the enjoyment of White himself, a nostalgic return to the more intimate settings that he surpassed twenty years ago.
The modest space of Civic Hall suited White’s energetic performance style well as he hurtled into a blend of quickfire tracks from his solo career and the White Stripes catalogue. Highlights from the middle section of the set included a particularly tough rendition of That Black Bat Licorice, featured on 2014’s Lazaretto and a version of the White Stripes classic The Hardest Button To Button, which produced by far the strongest crowd reaction of the night up to that point. White then reached for an acoustic guitar for a stirring rendition of another White Stripes hit, Hotel Yorba, which caused the crowd to erupt into an enthusiastic sing-along. Illuminated by moody blue lighting, Civic Hall looked beautiful that night and the excitement of the multi-generational crowd was palpable.
Despite focusing on new material, all of which went down a treat, White did make sure to include a couple of tracks from his side projects, the Saboteurs and the Dead Weather. A notable highlight was a powerful rendition of the Saboteurs eerie deep-cut Broken Boy Soldier, which showcased both White’s magnetic presence as well as the fact that his incredibly high singing voice has not faltered with age.
Other stand out tracks from the evening included High Ball Stepper, also off 2014’s Lazaretto, as well as new song Underground, which highlighted White’s excellent melodic sensibility and his superb slide-guitar abilities. Closing out the set was the always memorable White Stripes jam Ball and Biscuit, which provided an opportunity for White to showcase his incredibly distinct lead guitar playing.
View this post on Instagram
After a few minutes of howling and thunderous foot stomping from the adoring Ballarat crowd, White and his flawless band promptly returned for a three song encore. Launching into beloved White Stripes track Icky Thump, which provided keyboardist extraordinaire Bobby Emmett to show off a little, White then blasted through a rowdy performance of his new riff-laden song Tonight Was A Long Time Ago.
In a predictable but absolutely necessary move, White finished the night with his signature song, White Stripes mega-hit Seven Nation Army. A riff that has become part of the fabric of pop culture, Seven Nation Army still carries the same power that it did upon its release in 2003 and White showed absolutely no sign of being sick of performing his magnum opus.
White’s No Name LP and tour have once again proven that he is a deeply relevant artist determined to push his sound into the future. However if 2000 Ballarat natives singing the Seven Nation Army riff at the top of their lungs last Friday proved one thing, it’s that the past isn’t done with him yet.
Get tickets to the No Name tour here.
