It's been a hell of a delay, but I've finally gotten around to writing my review from the Old Man River gig at the Annandale on Friday, 12 Feb. It's been a busy couple of weeks and now with Uni starting again next week it's bound to be even busier. But gigs I will attend! And hopefully I'll review them a lot sooner than 2 weeks after the event has occurred.
Now, Passenger and Old Man River are not generally bands that I’d go and see on a Friday night when I’m in the mood for a party. Particularly after seeing the awesome disco funk of Chk Chk Chk on the Wednesday before at the Metro. (This review coming next, so stay tuned.)
I think I was still on a high from the Chk Chk Chk gig because I just didn't have the same enthusiasm I need when watching extremely talented individuals on stage. Personally I'm always amazed at people who can get up on stage with just their voice and an instrument, and generate melodies from the soul. The lyrics actually need substance. That's exactly what Mike Rosenberg, the man behind Passenger, did.
"I know it's a Friday night and usually when you'd like to party. So I'm sorry that I'll be singing all these depressing songs to you," he said before launching into his first tune.
While he was pretty correct; I really wasn't in the mood for depressing music; I couldn't deny the talent this man displayed. The whole room was completely packed out yet utterly silent during every song. The man's passion for his songs is laid bare for all to enjoy.
His voice has an extremely unique quality about it. It's so delicate and full of emotion you can't help but be drawn to the stage. Yet when he finishes a song it's quickly contrasted by his witty anecdotes and constant apologies for depressing everyone so much on a Friday night. Though, his passion for his music is profound and this went a long way in keeping the crowd completely mesmerised.
The same couldn't be said for Old Man River though. It was clear that the main attraction of the night was Passenger. At least 1/3 of the crowd had left when Old Man River came on and there was constant chatter throughout his entire performance.
The people at the very front of the crowd were clearly big fans; singing along with the songs and responding to his little anecdotes. The rest of the crowd, however seemed pretty uninterested.
I think it had a slight effect on Mr Old Man River at one point, when he started a very mellow song about his partner. Most of the audience wasn't listening and the noise from the chatter was clearly distracting for the mood he was trying to achieve. The front of the crowd, obviously annoyed by this, expelled a collective shhh! that seemed to quieten the crowd only for about 30 seconds.
From my point of view, it was clear that the songs of Old Man River just couldn't keep up with the raw emotion and sincerity of Passenger. That's not to say that Old Man River isn't talented. Like I said, I'm amazed at solo artists who can emerge on their own feet with just a guitar and voice. If anything, Old Man River has a more diverse range of songs, and quite a few that are fairly chirpy and catchy.
But it was Passenger's complete immersion into each of his songs that had a strong effect on the punters. Plus he is a very witty man, and his little quips and light-hearted self deprecation was a nice break from the severely depressing music that definitely wasn't my flavour for a Friday night.
Overall, it was a good night. The final song of Old Man River had Passenger and David Lee Kendall (who's performance I missed) join him on stage to play Elton John's tiny dancer.
They were clearly having a lot of fun and the crowd, who had already started leaving, stopped in their tracks to enjoy the surprising final song.
It was clear from their performances on stage that these men have a passion for their music and simply want to share their stories with the world. They don't do it for money or glory; Mike Rosenberg raised the funds for his latest album purely by busking around Australia. The audience embraced this passion, for the most part, and it's a comforting fact to know that there is still an audience out there for musicians with stories of substance to tell and nothing more than a guitar to play with.
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