With Monday being the second of a three night stand for The Polyphonic Spree at the Festival Hub’s pop-up venue, I was a little bemused by the small number of people milling about, even after the support act had begun.
Perth’s Abbe Mae played to a room that was less than a quarter full. Her band’s sound incorporated countless sample-heavy drumbeats and electronic effects, falling under the more moody, dark-wave end of the musical spectrum. The music didn’t really hold my attention, as each song sounded like a repetition of the previous one.
‘Trouble’ contained a pounding drum-sampled sound, however any momentum the band may have built up at the start was all but lost, as it took an age for instruments to be swapped between songs. It can’t be denied that Mae is well able to sing, and the post-rock, dual guitar feud during the finale was a highlight, but it was too little too late.
The Polyphonic Spree arrived on the narrow stage behind a white cloth, which bandleader Tim DeLaughter then spray-painted with the words “Yo Booty’s Mine”, before slicing the cloth down the middle. ‘Opener’ was a rather emphatically apt start to the night, while follow-up ‘Hold Me Now’ brought an early “wow” element to the proceedings.
With 15 people on stage in various multicoloured robes all surrounded by smoke, kaleidoscope lights, and countless instruments, it was difficult to take in the full spectacle of what The Polyphonic Spree can bring to a live setting. For the duration of their set, DeLaughter prowled about the stage like a grinning and seemingly possessed preacher/conductor.
New track ‘Popular By Design’ opened with a resounding fusion of bass and brass, while the pulsating drums dominated throughout. ‘Light & Day’ possessed the same hook-laden, catchy vibe it always had, during which DeLaughter allowed the rather excitable crowd to get up close and personal.
The fun factor upped another notch or two during their rendition of The Monkees’ ‘Porpoise Song’, which had the crowd singing along while DeLaughter marshalled his crew with effortless ease. The heaviest track of the night was ‘Get Up And Go’, which sent the cellist into overdrive, while the violinist pogoed to his heart’s content without missing a note. A cover of INXS’ ‘Don’t Change’ received a resounding cheer of approval, too.
The only issue I had with DeLaughter was that he trailed off on a few long-winded spiels. These included countless requests for the crowd to pass up “any of that ol’ bud“ on stage, mumbled stories of his youth led that to nowhere, and stumbling versions of Tripping Daisy’s ‘I Got A Girl’ and Lionel Richie’s ‘All Night Long’ that seemed a bit stop-start at times. Yet, The Polyphonic Spree and DeLaughter have always been so easy going, so maybe it’s not too unexpected.
The cellist took the vocal for ‘Time Warp’ while DeLaughter meandered offstage into the abyss. When he returned, the band played ‘Soldier Girl’, and an epic ‘We Sound Amazed’, which included the cello player head-banging as if her life depended on it.
To finish up, DeLaughter reeled off one final story about when he was 16, and how he tried to sell a suit to Larry Hagman (who played JR Ewing in Dallas). By the end, the story seemed to take its toll on the rest of the band, as they set down their tools, hoping their leader would wind up sooner rather than later. Before leaving the stage, a cover of ‘December 1963 (Oh What A Night)’ was attempted momentarily.
It’s obvious The Polyphonic Spree have an awful lot to offer on the live front, as they were able to whip up a frenzy right from the start, but I feel they may need to pull the reins on frontman DeLaughter, even a smidgen, so it’s only their music that does the talking.
The Polyphonic Spree Setlist
Opener
Hold Me Now
Younger Yesterday
Popular By Design
Light & Day
2000 Places
Carefully Try
Porpoise Song (Cover – The Monkees)
You Don’t Know Me
Hold Yourself Up
Get Up & Go
Best Part
Running Away
All Night Long (Cover – Lionel Richie)
Don’t Change (Cover – INXS)
I Got A Girl (Cover – Tripping Daisy)
Time Warp (Cover – Rocky Horror)
Soldier Girl
We Sound Amazed
December 1963 (Oh What A Night) (Cover – The Four Seasons)
