Tonight I was going to pop my Eskimo Joe Cherry at the Gaelic Club in Sydney. I knew this was going to be a good night. The line stretched all the way up the street, and a big sign on the door saying ‘SOLD OUT’. Oh yeah. As soon as punters entered, we were greeted by the acoustic calmness of Felicity Groom. Brought all the way over from Perth with Eskimo Joe, Felicity created a great atmosphere for everyone to enter, find a place to sit, chat amongst each other and get comfortable. Groom explored the world of dark folk music as she changed the line up and instruments on stage, including two members of Eskimo Joe joining her. Felicity Groom had a big crowd to please, and where many other young solo artists would falter, She thrived and made it seem effortless.
Next up, from Adelaide was main support Miles Mayo. Continuing with the motif of deeply personal acoustic artists. Miles was great, showing no fear in the surging crowd that just kept growing and growing. He was clearly in a wonderland on stage and was not shy when it came to banter with the crowd. For a country artist, Mayo had a lot of city slicker with him, combining the two in his music – Country music with out horses and cattle. With a few obvious mates in the audience, and telling the tales behind all his tunes, I felt as though I knew Mayo – strange I know but worked well, its hard to be bored or unimpressed watching someone you know perform on stage, regardless of whether or not you actually know them.
By the time Eskimo Joe were ready to start their set, the room was packed! I could feel people gravitate to my spot against the wall, looking for somewhere to lean but no WAY was I going to give up my prime position. Eskimo Joe came on strong, opening with New York, one of the many crowd favorites on the night. Very early on into the set it became obvious that there was a reason Eskimo Joe was still around, they know what they are doing and they do it damn well. They demonstrated such playful energy on stage, and showed showmanship that many younger bands have forgotten about. Having chosen their set list via fan votes through their social networking, It was clear that Eskimo Joe were showing no signs of slowing down their career, teaming up old guard talent and experience with new world technology, a partnership missed by many of their peers who struggle to keep relevant in the changing industry climate. Describing themselves as a ‘giving band’, Eskimo Joe continued their set, playing all their classic oldies that are riddled through out the soundtrack to many Generation Y’s childhood, but tonight, they were arranged differently – Keeping things interesting so many years down the track. Front man Kavyen Temperley explained how he wanted to keep this personal, and have a ‘moment’ with everyone in the room. That night was certainly a moment for me. Eskimo Joe is Australian Music royalty, and being able to see them for the first time in such an intimate venue and setting will stay with me for years to come. The feeling was unanimous through out the Gaelic Club as massive crowd followed Eskimo Joe through every step of the set. Furthermore, all punters were given a gift – a vinyl copy of Eskimo Joe’s new single When We Were Kids. Sorry MusicFeeds, but I’m keeping it!
Set List:
New York
Older Than You
Seven Veils
When We Were Kids
Childhood Behaviour
Sarah
London Bombs
Don’t Let It Fly
Falling For You
Forever Young
Planet Earth
Don’t Let Me Down
Echoes
Liar
Foreign Land
Black Fingernails, Red Wine
Love is a Drug
From The Sea
