Johnny Marr, Jake Doyle @ The Corner Hotel, Melbourne (04/01/2014)
For most of its attendants at tonight's show, the post-Falls Festival blues have already begun to take their toll. But as I enter Richmond’s Corner hotel for former The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr’s sideshow, these blue feelings are nowhere to be found.
It’s not that those in the crowd weren’t in attendance, that fact was disproved whenever a conversation started nearby, which consistently began with “I can’t wait to see him after seeing him at Falls”. The quiet party vibe radiated the room as everyone waited expectantly for the godfather of the twinkling guitar.
However, first up on the line-up for tonight is Drunk Mum’s front man Jake Doyle in one of his very first solo shows of his career. And despite his experience live with Drunk Mum’s, there was definitely a first time feeling radiating off the stage. Near the end of his set, he found the stride and confidence needed for this kind of show, but unfortunately it was too little too late. After eight or nine songs, he left the audience, which had multiplied tenfold from when he started the set.
The electricity in the room could have sent sparks up towards the ceilings. After several false starts (which resulted in the mic stand soaking up several applause), at last Johnny Marr and his crew bounded onto stage. Immediately, they threw the audience into the cacophony that was The Right Thing Right, the opener of his new solo album, The Messenger. Despite having the obvious influence of Marr’s work, the songs differed greatly to the rest of his discography. Gone was the lilting gentleness that the Smiths dwelled in, and the depression had changed to a charged frustration that horned from the 50 year old’s mouth.
As the show went on, the crowd gently bobbed alongside while the band played through both hits from Marr’s solo album and from The Smiths hefty back catalogue, but there was slight disappointment lingering. So far, the set was a mimic, line for line, of the Falls festival show. Which for the five people who weren’t there was fine, but the majority showed their disappointment as they danced. That is, until opening chords to the timeless classic Smiths song Panic echoed through the Corner. In an instant, the crowd broke into an incredible roar and their enthusiasm took root in the spontaneous, energetic, and at times downright embarrassing dancing that broke out of the soft bob they dwelled in.
From this point on, the band had hit their stride. Marr chatted with the crowd between nigh every song, elaborating on his experiences writing or travelling. While playing however, he held more energy and presence than most big name rock-stars could let out in their prime, let alone at 50. Pogoing around the stage and shouting into guitar inputs, everyone in the room is absolutely ecstatic. A feeling that peaks when the band tears into one of the Smiths biggest hits, Bigmouth Strikes Again.
As they walk off the stage to burning static, the waiting begins again. At last, Marr makes his way out alone and starts what seems like random diddling of the guitar. Structure comes as the rest of the band follow out one by one, and what comes to fruition is the fan favourite Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want. Marr’s vocals rival Morrissey well enough for one to wonder why he had only begun this act this year. At last, they finish with another Smiths song, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, accompanied by a beautiful thank you to the audience and a short eulogy for now lost Melbourne music icon Roland S. Howard.
I suspect that upon leaving the show, the last shred of the 2013 Falls Festival, the post-show blues will set in quickly to everyone. But as they leave the venue, there is a feeling of awe surrounding everyone. All I can say is that I pity the act I next have to see, as even in a tiny place like the Corner, Johnny Marr made it seem as large as Rod Laver. And especially in his genre of expertise, that is an exceedingly hard quality to come by. And I doubt I was the only one who noticed this effect…
Ben Spencer
It’s not that those in the crowd weren’t in attendance, that fact was disproved whenever a conversation started nearby, which consistently began with “I can’t wait to see him after seeing him at Falls”. The quiet party vibe radiated the room as everyone waited expectantly for the godfather of the twinkling guitar.
However, first up on the line-up for tonight is Drunk Mum’s front man Jake Doyle in one of his very first solo shows of his career. And despite his experience live with Drunk Mum’s, there was definitely a first time feeling radiating off the stage. Near the end of his set, he found the stride and confidence needed for this kind of show, but unfortunately it was too little too late. After eight or nine songs, he left the audience, which had multiplied tenfold from when he started the set.
The electricity in the room could have sent sparks up towards the ceilings. After several false starts (which resulted in the mic stand soaking up several applause), at last Johnny Marr and his crew bounded onto stage. Immediately, they threw the audience into the cacophony that was The Right Thing Right, the opener of his new solo album, The Messenger. Despite having the obvious influence of Marr’s work, the songs differed greatly to the rest of his discography. Gone was the lilting gentleness that the Smiths dwelled in, and the depression had changed to a charged frustration that horned from the 50 year old’s mouth.
As the show went on, the crowd gently bobbed alongside while the band played through both hits from Marr’s solo album and from The Smiths hefty back catalogue, but there was slight disappointment lingering. So far, the set was a mimic, line for line, of the Falls festival show. Which for the five people who weren’t there was fine, but the majority showed their disappointment as they danced. That is, until opening chords to the timeless classic Smiths song Panic echoed through the Corner. In an instant, the crowd broke into an incredible roar and their enthusiasm took root in the spontaneous, energetic, and at times downright embarrassing dancing that broke out of the soft bob they dwelled in.
From this point on, the band had hit their stride. Marr chatted with the crowd between nigh every song, elaborating on his experiences writing or travelling. While playing however, he held more energy and presence than most big name rock-stars could let out in their prime, let alone at 50. Pogoing around the stage and shouting into guitar inputs, everyone in the room is absolutely ecstatic. A feeling that peaks when the band tears into one of the Smiths biggest hits, Bigmouth Strikes Again.
As they walk off the stage to burning static, the waiting begins again. At last, Marr makes his way out alone and starts what seems like random diddling of the guitar. Structure comes as the rest of the band follow out one by one, and what comes to fruition is the fan favourite Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want. Marr’s vocals rival Morrissey well enough for one to wonder why he had only begun this act this year. At last, they finish with another Smiths song, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, accompanied by a beautiful thank you to the audience and a short eulogy for now lost Melbourne music icon Roland S. Howard.
I suspect that upon leaving the show, the last shred of the 2013 Falls Festival, the post-show blues will set in quickly to everyone. But as they leave the venue, there is a feeling of awe surrounding everyone. All I can say is that I pity the act I next have to see, as even in a tiny place like the Corner, Johnny Marr made it seem as large as Rod Laver. And especially in his genre of expertise, that is an exceedingly hard quality to come by. And I doubt I was the only one who noticed this effect…
Ben Spencer