January 26 is a confusing day, causing much ambivalence, fierce opposition and plenty of crass expressions of misguided patriotism. But Abbotsford Convent was a place of peacefulness. The sun beamed down on the lawn surrounding the Summer Tones main stage, where various Melbourne bands and American folk musicians wooed the genial and appropriately subdued crowd.
Philadelphian-cum-San Franciscan songwriter Meg Baird sung in a shatterproof high register that seemed carried over from an earlier era. The likes of Vashti Bunyan and Sibylle Baier are suitable comparisons, but Baird isn’t a throwback folk nostalgist. Set against a backdrop of bushy hills, her performance inspired a feeling of freedom. Her music is at once cosmic and earthy, and her vocal radiance didn’t falter even when the crowd’s jovial mood was at odds with her introspective journey.
More than half the sold-out crowd removed themselves from the outdoor serenity to enter the bandroom for Totally Mild. The Melbourne band’s billowing popularity is heartening to witness, especially on a day when mediocrity dominated the Hottest 100 countdown. Back outside, folk singing lifer Michael Hurley was a picture of never-give-up fortitude. Hurley’s been releasing music since the 1960s (he was an integral figure in the mid-‘60s Greenwich Village folk scene), and despite residing in the margins of popular regard, he’s continued to resolutely push forward. This was one of four Melbourne shows he played this week; a testament to Hurley’s ongoing commitment to making tangible human connections via music. It wasn’t a physically gruelling performance – allaying fears for the 75-year-old’s endurance – but his voice remains nimble and sweetly affecting.
Montero stormed onto the bandroom stage next. On a day dominated by ruminative sounds and stirring novelty, these guys were alone on the airborne end of the seesaw. Somewhere between Mercury Rev and Spinal Tap, it was a stuffy contrast to the pleasant twilight outside.
Like Hurley, Kurt Vile has played multiple Melbourne shows during the last month. Today he was without his backing band The Violators, which gave us insight into how his songs sound in their nascent stages. Vile is many things – an amusing character, incisive and sharp lyricist, rambling soul man, curious vocalist, and compulsive songwriter. But it’s as a guitarist that he’s most technically advanced. He spent the majority of the set prodigiously fingerpicking an acoustic guitar, causing many an onlooking guitarist to feel lazy. The setlist grabbed broadly from his six-record catalogue, with the biggest applause going to material from the recent trio of Smoke Ring For My Halo, Wakin On a Pretty Daze and B’lieve I’m Goin Down. The latter’s Pretty Pimpin proved just as giddily addictive in acoustic form; while Smoke Ring’s lead track Baby’s Arms gained additional intimacy – its avowal of true of love resonating with the warmly receptive crowd.
And that’s where we wound up. Despite the confusion, divided opinions and prevailing imbalances related to this date, Summer Tones was a place of warmth and mutual respect.
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
Photo by Jess Lilley
Loved: Abbotsford Convent.
Hated: No hate.
Drank: Drink it till you’ve forgotten what you’re drinking it for. Drink it a little bit more.
