Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes at the Enmore Theatre 11/4/14 - Live Review
- genevavalek
- Apr 13, 2014
- 3 min read
Front man Alex Ebert truly is a man on fire. The ten piece American band, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, graced the stage of the Enmore theatre last night. Jumping straight off a plane from the US in the morning they delivered an awesome awe inspiring better than best all round fantastic concert.
Support band MT Warning were a brand newie for my ears, and I'll be looking into some more of their tunes after their tight set. Smooth vocals from main man Mickey Bee resonated through the perfectly balanced acoustics of the Enmore. The performance was flanked by solid guitar with some stand out melodies, but by the end each song sounded more like the one before. They were a great support and got the warm vibes flowing in the crowd, and are definitely be a band to watch as they mature past their first two years.
Towards the end of their set the sloped grounds of the dance floor began filling up with hundreds of people who, refreshingly, had not one bindie nor two buns. In fact, 97% of the audience sprouted long hair. The only differing feature between the sexes was a mass of hair on the lower portion of the face. So there was a lot of hair in the mosh. Mmmmmmm.
When Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros entered the stage the crowd was amped and ready to go. The ten piece band filled the stage and had an even bigger presence through the theatre. Opening with Man on Fire was was a strong start and described the night to come. After the first song, lead members Alex and Jade had no idea what they were going to play. And it was great. Taking suggestions from the crowd at almost every interchange 'So ahh, what do ya wanna hear next?' made the set more honest and intimate than a planned out, printed set list could ever be. Each song was dynamic, a totally different experience than their recorded albums, with extended versions of everything and some songs lasting almost ten minutes.
Many a story was told by Jade and Alex in the middle of the songs - backgrounds to songs, personal memories, stories from the audience, you name it. Completely drawn into their mesmerising voices the returning chorus was a melodic shock bringing a smile to the faces of everyone. I think the best bit of the concert was the crowd interaction and dancing, every member throwing everything into their performance (If you haven't seen a video of Alex dancing, you need to YouTube that right now).
His energy was contagious and sent the audience into a teeming mass of wildly dancing bodies. The band seed to be enjoying themselves as much, or even more than the energetic crowd of admirers. The set lasted over an hour and a half and was just as exciting from start to finish.
The performance featured kick arse instruments such as a tambourine, tuba, trumpet and melodic bells which created a deeply balanced sound. Every member of the band had a vocal or instrumental solo with the Edward Shape member of Crash (another band by the same producer) performing Motion Animal.
Stand out songs include Nita Watta, 40 Day Dream, Up From Below and of course Home. Their final song was a pick from the band, despite the crowd screening out their favourites as requests.
This Life is a song from their latest album and wasn't as well known as others. It was a little bit disappointing to have such a quiet, mellow ending to what was such a powerful performance.
They surprisingly missed what would have been crowd favourites Janglin and Better Days which was a bit of a bummer. Saying that it detracted NOTHING from the show, just those extra songs could have made it even better. If the opportunity ever arises to see Edward Sharpe, buy a ticket - it doesn't matter if it's for you, your friend, grandma or pet fish - just do it. And maybe if you're thinking to yourself 'well hang on a minute, I don't really know/like these dang-diddily-hippies' do yourself a favour and watch Big Easy Express. If you don't fall in love with at least one little part of the band there's something seriously wrong with you. (In which case you should see them because it'll solve all your mental/physical/spiritual problems.)
Honestly, it was probably the best gig I've been too. And that's comparing to some pretty massive competition with the likes of the XX, Boy & Bear, Nick Cave, Powderfinger, Ball Park Music, insert any other great band that you've seen. My legs are dying from dancing and my voice is sore from singing. I loved every second of the concert and I cannot WAIT until I get to see these guys again.
Review by Grace Naughton
Photo by Geneva Valek view more here
コメント