Formed in 1993, Spoon are arguably one of the most hard working bands around right now. Even after 22 years, the substance and soul in their music is as strong as ever.
Psychedelic indie rockers, Deep Sea Arcade, warmed up the stage in impeccable fashion. Although their set was short, the band hailing from Sydney did a great job in entertaining the gig’s early comers
Spoon opened up their set with ‘Rent I Pay’ from their 2014 released album They Want My Soul. Out. From the opening, frontman Brett Daniels had the crowd mesmerised with his raw vocals and captivating stage presence. His confidence is the kind that can only be developed after touring a total of 8 albums now. Over the years, it’s obvious he’s nailed the formula of being confident with holding a crowd without the cockiness usually associated with front-man.
Their set contained a varied spread across five of the albums in their catalogue, including their recently released LP, Transference (2010), Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007), Gimme Fiction (2005), and Kill The Night (2002). I can imagine what a difficult task it is for them to organise a setlist with the amount of depth each of their last eight album contains. This is good news for fans as you know when you buy a ticket to see them, you can expect to see a show that will give you the different sides and reinventions of Spoon.
A highlight of the set was ‘Don’t Make Me A Target’, maybe because the song’s nature is a wonderful mix of grooves and musical chills. ‘Do You’ also brought the dance vibes to the crowd, and it was hard to spot one person who wasn’t at least bopping their head.
Their encore contained 4 songs, including a cover of ‘Memory Lane’ by Eddy Current Suppression Ring. Unsurprisingly, they finished off their show with a bang with ‘The Underdog’. Both a fan favourite and one of their most successful singles brought the house down. I must admit, Spoon gave me goosebumps for most of the night - hearing this one live intensified those chills.
Spoon aren’t the type of band who tour every year like a lot of artists around; it’s a well know fact that Spoon only tour when they have an album out. It’s as if everybody in the venue knew that seeing the magic of Spoon isn’t something that their going anytime soon - so they soaked it up. They grooved, they sung, and they stood their mesmerised in the moment with the Indie rock legends. In all, it was a beautiful sight.
PHOTO GALLERY :
DEEP SEA ARCADE | SPOON | THE FORUM (MELB) | 11.2.15
