I’ve long been a fan but have never seen them live and by them I mean Kurt Wagner and assorted chums. Tonight it’s a three piece of Kurt on guitar and various electronics, bass player Matt Swanson and the enigmatic Tony Crow on piano, a man who could have a career in comedy if his keyboard skills are no longer required.
Wagner has a bit of a marmite voice and his experimentation with sound, electronica and vocal effects doesn’t always hit the spot. However, there are no such problems tonight with a perfectly paced set and any use of electronica was subtle and well suited to the new cannon of songs from their latest album ‘Flotus’.
One of the great strengths of this venue is the sound quality and tonight is no exception. With a reverential crowd every tic, breath and nuance of Wagner’s voice could be heard perfectly. The ghostly hushed tone was the perfect backdrop for a Sunday night with the only distraction a very loud bang bordering on explosion that made everyone take a quick additional breath but the momentum was barely broken by the band. We later found out that this was a helium balloon in the lighting rig from the previous night exploding.
The interchange between the band is subtle and complimentary. Crow adds plenty of flourish with his piano playing virtuosity to the deadpan Wagner and his subdued guitar.
It’s a lovely 90 minute body of work and difficult to pick any highlight as it acted more as a soundtrack for the evening than a rock n roll show. With drama in the audience with a member ejected, another fainting, the band proved to be the electrical earth to the madness going on elsewhere in the world.
Keep on lo-fi rockin y’all