Lovers of live music would have been rapt with the sensory delight they got served on Saturday night at Richmond’s Corner Hotel. The venue alone, with its low ceilings, pylons and sticky carpet, stimulates memories of gigs past, stirring a kind of expectancy that comes with being in a space that has hosted so many local and international favourites. Crammed onto that familiar corner stage, U.S. six-piece Midlake kept the legacy intact delivering a predictably high quality show.
Midlake was well supported by two impressive local acts The Orbweavers, playing a quirky, folk sound with a Tarantino edge, and, HOWQUA. Of particular note, it was HOWQUA who, in his first gig, bought the venue to a complete still with an intensely, soulful, and far too brief 30 mins set. The flooring vocals and unbridled, emotive, atmosphere of HOWQUA lingered well after he had left the stage, setting Midlake enthusiasts up for a great night.
As you would expect from a band that has been performing together for almost 15 years, Midlake played a ridiculously tight set, perfectly capturing the psychedelic, symphonic sounds and harmonies that fans have fallen in love with over the past four albums.
Midlake fans may have been nervous given this was their first Aussie exposure to the band (unless they caught the previous night’s gig at Sydney’s Vivid) without long time frontman Tim Smith. New frontman, former guitarist and backing vocalist Eric Pulido was all class, and more than filled any gap left by Smith. At one point Pulido stopped to acknowledge supporters, “Thanks so much for coming out, we travel half way ’round the world not really knowing if anyone is going to show up… we are going to hang around after the show for a hug and a chat.” That kind of sincerity will always have traction with Aussie fans, old and new.
The set didn’t allow a whole lot of space for banter. Midlake filled every nook and cranny of the show with musical class; even the flute and guitar lead jams had that tight Midlake symphonic quality. The boys rolled each track seamlessly into the next, mixing old and new, and all the favourites, into what was a really solid set. Roscoe and We Gathered in Spring felt like the biggest crowd pleasers, providing a pretty significant vocal swell from the audience.
Touring on the back of their new album Antiphon, Midlake left fans feeling reassured that Midlake are still Midlake despite some significant changes in personnel. Overall, a really solid gig and another Saturday night to add to the memory vault that is the Corner Hotel.
BY PAUL MARCUS
Loved: Discovering some new talent
Hated: the couple standing in front of me who didn’t shut up
Drank: Fat Yak
