The NGV has been running Friday night concerts since April to provide Melbourne’s culture afficianados with yet another excuse to scout out the fantastic Van Gogh and the Seasons exhibition. It was only fitting that this series of Friday evening good times should come to an end with a concert by Perth indie crooners The Panics – albeit on a Saturday night.
Not unexpectedly, the crowd had some definite upper-middle class gallery-hopping vibes. Accordingly, the collective libido of the crowd was lower than the population average, and the proportion of people buying $100 bottles of champagne was higher than average. Really though, this led to a nice, friendly atmosphere during the performances. The entire hall even sat down to relax during the opening performance by the Alto Strings quartet.
The Panics came to fame with their pop ballad Don’t Fight It, while the rest of their repertoire has taken a backseat role. While the acoustic rendition of their hit track was a highlight of the concert, their entire set managed to keep the listeners absolutely engaged from start to finish. Given the layout of the concert, the diversity of entertainment options and the abundance of booze, it was not a given that the band would receive 100% of the crowd’s attention. With that, the level of engagement was a reflection of the conviction of The Panics’ performance.
While the acoustics of the NGV’s Great Hall worked to the benefit of Alto Strings’s sound and presence. Equally, ambient or more atmospheric musical groups would find that the acoustics of the Great Hall added a level of depth to the performance. However, there was a sense in which the acoustics didn’t work especially well with the music of The Panics. One got the impression that the performance would be more fitting in a cramped bar or intimate terrace venue.
Despite that snag, the evening was curated wonderfully, and the triple-screen display of close-ups of Van Gogh’s work during the performance added to the engagingness of the performance.
Highlight: Playing the game ‘count the number of dickheads taking photos of artwork in an art gallery’. It’s a mouthful but also a lot of fun.
Lowlight: Packed venue + minimalist furnishings = losing atrociously when someone delcared the floor to be lava.
Crowd favourite: The acoustic rendition of Don’t Fight It was the obvious winner.
