Review: Greg Phillips. Photos: Jason Rosewarne.
Collectively we’d gathered at the church of Matt Johnson to seek salvation in the form of his unique vocal delivery, remarkable song craft, left-leaning political views and of course, to revel in the music which guided us through much of our younger lives. It had only been half a dozen years since we experienced Matt and his band The The on Australian soil (after a 30 year wait mind you) but the current Ensoulment tour is the band’s first venture out into the world with new material for a quarter of a century. What’s even more significant is that the song quality of the new album Ensoulment is as good as anything else they’ve produced. At the band’s second night in a row at The Palais Theatre in St.Kilda, Johnson tells us in his gentlemanly British tone that the show would consist of two parts … part one featuring a performance of Ensoulment in its entirety, “a listening experience,” he explains. And part two, a trip down memory lane with selections from their vast catalogue and a promise of the opportunity to sing and dance.
Opening with the ominous strains of Cognitive Dissent, that unmistakable deep voice Matt Johnson rang out, declaring that this could be none other than The The on stage in front of us. Some Days I Drink My Coffee by the Grave of William Blake features all of the Johnson vocal trademarks, dramatically moving with ease from a whisper to a rich, powerful voice emanating from the depths of his diaphragm. Zen and the Art of Dating paints a vivid, pitiful picture of the loneliness of a single man. “Swipe to the left, swipe to the right, We need somebody tonight’ he sings. Kissing the Ring of POTUS is an obvious commentary on the current political situation in America, as he wonders that like Britain, has Australia also just become another state of the USA? The moody Life After Life, possibly my favourite track off the new album, is a song about regret. “All the things you should have said but didn’t say, Life after life. All the things you could have done but didn’t do”.
I Want to Wake Up With You and Down By The Frozen River highlights the beauty of the piano playing of DC Collard. Risin’ Above The Need offers guitarist Barry Cadogan a chance to present us with some tasteful bluesy licks, albeit amongst some niggling technical issues. By the time we arrive at A Rainy Day in May, the final track off the new album, we’re already mesmerised by the band’s musical elegance, Johnson’s spellbinding voice and thoughtful lyrics, earning them all a short break to re-energize.
Infected the title track from the band’s second album proclaims we’re heading back in time, as sections of the crowd rise to their feet, driven by the song’s percussive beat. Armageddon Days Are Here (Again) continues the rockin’ theme. However many of the songs in the set that follow don’t so much rock our world but coerce us to politely sway. Love is Stronger Than Death a gorgeous song, full of hope from the Dusk album (their strongest record in my opinion) is slowed down considerably to almost to a hymn. I guess the softer instrumentation made it easier for the audience to singalong to… which they did but for me, much of the life of the song was stolen. Johnson then suggests that the next couple of songs, two more of Johnson’s crowning achievements Slow Emotion Replay and This Is The Day, offer a chance to dance in the aisles. Unfortunately his promise rings hollow, as those classics too are reduced to Las Vegas lounge versions. I admire Johnson’s desire to reinvent and I understand the need for artists to keep their music fresh when they’re playing songs night after night, but to suck the energy and nuance out of those three songs in particular, I felt was a mistake in terms of show dynamics. Acclaimed drummer Chris Whitten, who has played for McCartney and Dire Straits was even using brushes during This Is The Day, when I’m sure the audience was craving some rock ’n’ roll thump by that point of the evening.
Thankfully a trippy Icing Up breaks the shackles and the band kick into a more spirited mode, with keyboard player DC Collard featuring on atmospheric harmonica. The electric guitars are then amped up a notch for an authentic version of Dogs of Lust, which has the crowd back up on their feet. Sweet Bird of Youth follows and we are back in the game. Lonely Planet too is closer to a version that could tap deeper into our psyches, as the band left the stage to end the main portion of the show.
Returning for a fabulous rendition of Uncertain Smile and Giant from Soul Mining led to a prolonged standing ovation in recognition of an extraordinary artist’s life work. I have mixed emotions about the gig tonight. The performance of the new album was outstanding and I’m sure Johnson would have been happy to end it there but of course many fans had come to tap into their past and for mine, sections of the show lacked zeal. Yes I’d heard many of the songs I’d come to enjoy but the versions of a few of the more significant ones sadly broke my nostalgic heart.
