Venerdì 8 Gen 2010, 9:08
Rapidly becoming my 2nd most seen live artist (thanks to her constant touring & only to Nine Inch Nails) Kaki King is easily my favorite performer, not only in terms of skill (which she displays almost effortlessly) but in the atmosphere her charming personality creates at a gig.
Sun 3 Jan – Kaki King
The annandale gig was a full band show, which meant a more rigid setlist, but certainly no lack of spontaneity! From a string snapping mid song, to accidentally writing the same song twice on the setlisthttp://farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/4256258936_5eafa394eb.jpg, these & many more moments allowed Kaki plenty of opportunity to keep the mood light & engage with the crowd (who lapped it up!)
Although featuring a new drummer this time around, mr Dan Brantigan returned to display his skill with the EVI/bong. http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4256257754_f602b30206.jpg
(unfortunate sidenote: both boys were wearing the same clothes they had the day before, as their luggage had been left in Melbourne accidentally by the airline!)
Very few solo Kaki moments, as this evening was a particularly band centric performance. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2750/4256258424_aae950f660.jpg
Though did feature regular lap steel set closer Gay sons of lesbian mothers.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2685/4256259268_d84978a257.jpg
The set itself was a very tight mix of old/new (like REALLY new, as in forthcoming album new!) Due aprox "My spring, your fall", the album is set to be titled Jr.
Songs about spies & communist friends along with love & loss (new track Sunnyside prefaced with a disclaimer that we wern't to laugh at the lyric mentioning a 'wiener dog'….which I guess would be funny to anyone who hadn't been paying any attention to the rest of the lyrics perhaps) & some sumptuous instrumental pieces.
Support act Leroy Lee (who had opened for Kaki last year at Mon 9 Mar – Kaki King) sounded very good & I managed to track down his self titled album, which I would recommend people give a listen!
Tue 5 Jan – Kaki King
Notes on Enmore was a much more intimate/less structured gig.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4256260332_582a0bc452.jpg
Tuning her guitar between/while deciding songs, Kaki amused her audience with anecdotes & humorous observations (such as being freaked out by cockroaches & then wondering what they actually ate) & exceptionally witty audience interactions. The following was her speaking to a group of girls sitting beside the stage after asking what they were speaking about while she'd been playing.
"youre talking about carpet burn? you got carpet burn from sitting on this carpet? im really sorry about that. and youve been discussing it this whole time? i really wish it was a euphemism because that would be so much more fun.
*pause… guitar strum*
i mean, were you like, did you fall? did someone drag you by your kn…eecaps across this…? you got carpet burn on your ankle and your hand from… what the hell have you been doing? just on this on the stage? just.. tonight? you got carpet burn. that is a rough carpet. i will say that.
well uh, put some aloe on it and shut the fuck up."
Although just her & an acoustic guitar, Dan did join her onstage to play flugelhorn with her for First Brain. This was preceded by audience participation in the form of discussion of Dan's love life. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2678/4256260588_5a54870ceb.jpg
The acoustic version of
Can Anyone Who Has Heard This Music Really Be A Bad Person? was an easy highlight of the evening.
Support act Dorothy of the Day's unique style of vocal looped pieces (with occasional improv) probably wern't for everyone, but I found her style quite sweet/enchanting & bought her record (& look forward to future releases from her.)
Photos & amusing anecdote transcripts courtesy of the lovely Punky.