I’ve been writing a music blog for Her Campus now for over a term and I finally think it’s time I explain why I’ve yet to tackle the gig review.
Writing a gig review is a bit like walking into a den of ferocious creatures ready to devour you upon your immediate arrival, with only a couple of differences. Instead of you, it’s your thoughts they’re ready to tear into pieces and instead of manes and tails, chances are these creatures are wearing either Ray Bans or a top decorated with a symbol probably stolen off some ancient obscure Aztec tribe. Yes I know, cliché references, check! I’m seriously digressing here.
My point is, gig reviewing involves a fine balancing act. If you include too many references and credentials to back up the superiority of your musical palate, you risk sounding like a pretentious hipster. Make your review too ‘accessible’ and you risk being labelled an amateur and your opinion ill informed. Furthermore, if the gig in itself is well, just average, there really is only a limited amount you can say.
But this doesn’t even begin to cover the real, underlying issues with reporting back from a couple of hours of musical entertainment. Because, who are you really to know what the perfect gig is? Is there such a thing? Sometimes the most anticipated gigs disappoint, and the ones that you attend out of obligation prove to be the ones you’ll remember in the coming decades. ‘Gigging’, is very much a matter of personal preference, so the reviewer has to prove as to why you should trust their opinion. That’s a heavy task, considering politicians even now can’t seem to get it right.
Now I’ve written a couple of gig reviews in the past few years, some of them published and many more yet to see the light of day (rightly so as well) , but recently I’ve never felt the need to report back in detail from a gig. But then a couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to go and see an artist called Passenger, who reminded me of something I have come to take for granted – the power of a good gig. As incredibly corny and however else it sounds, I left the gig wanting to write a review, not because I had to, but because the world should know how great a performance this artist had given. So here it is, I hope you will like it. And if you don’t, please refrain from feeding me to the musical lions anyway.
Passenger: Rescue Rooms, Friday 25th January 2013
Passenger is the stage name of Mike Rosenberg, a one man band who has set the standard, that I expect for gigs in 2013 very, very high indeed. Following on from a fine opening set from Australian Stu Larsen, (who is returning to Rescue Rooms on the 27th February, FYI) Passenger walks onto the stage with minimal theatrics, and after a polite short introduction to the audience, simply started to sing*.
The crowd, who beforehand had been murmuring among themselves, were suddenly silenced, captivated by this man’s soft, wispy voice. But it was neither the charming vocals nor the beautifully composed tracks alone that really impressed. It was the ‘overly sensitive guy with a beard’ (his words, not mine) himself.
An early remark demonstrated this would be the case. Towards the beginning of the night there was a deep bass emitting from Stealth, the club next door – throughout Larsen’s set, and the first 10 minutes of Passenger’s – when it suddenly disappeared, Passenger exclaimed triumphantly that ‘the dubstep monster has been slayed’. The crowd chuckled in appreciation, and it is quips such as these (he also described Crumpets as the perfect butter transporting vehicle) that endeared Passenger the artist, and not just his work, to the audience by the end of the evening.
For Passenger enthusiastically regaled us with tales of his past, the good, the bad and the ugly, inviting the audience to not just hear his songs and formulate their own responses, but to understand what his inspiration behind the material was. He is a natural storyteller, his narrative manner so honest, and the attention to detail so superb that you can imagine you’re there, these accompanying insights throughout the night added a new dimension to the music.
It was refreshing to be treated like an old friend, rather than a fan by an artist. Call me a cynic, but I’d become used to the two jokes and a ‘thank you for coming’ in between a few of the better known tracks formula that the majority of artists, big and small, opt for nowadays. The compulsory mutterings of ‘Y’alright’ (which for evermore will now remind me of that new McDonalds adverts, whose marketing team are excellent) were nowhere to be seen, replaced instead by on-going jokes about a flickering Ikea lamp which was part of the set design (okay, maybe you had to be there for that). I’m pretty certain as well it’s not that often that a performer successfully gets a crowd to shout the word ‘fajitas’ at them.
But the important thing here is, Passenger wasn’t just doing it because he could, but because he wanted to. It is evident that performing his music is his passion, and it is clear that great effort goes into every aspect of his shows. He treats the audience to a duet with Stu, despite there only being one microphone. At one point he juggles a harmonica, a guitar and singing. There is, for lack of a better phrase, an authentic feel to Passenger. Here is someone who is unfazed by the ‘industry’ aspect of music, and has rightfully gained a lot respect for it. So much so, that Passenger was able to perform acapella, without the use of technical equipment of any sort, to an audience of over two hundred. Quite a feat really, and how live music, in my opinion, should be able to be heard.
Crowd favourites ‘Life’s for The Living’ and ‘I Hate’ (look for any youtube video of a live performance of this I promise you , you will not regret the 3.33 minutes it takes to watch) get a phenomenal response from the crowd, as well of course, as ‘Let Her Go’, his new single out on the 18th February. He conducts the audience to sing along louder during ‘Holes’, which is greeted with a ‘wonderful’ response. Quite simply, his stage presence was magnificent.
And that’s saying something, for someone who has been to a few gigs with a variety of remarkable vocal performers. He knows his craft well, the years of direct interaction with an audience whilst busking clearly evident in the way that throughout the gig, he befriended the audience and constantly kept them at ease with his articulate, amusing rapport.
The performances were raw, and I could think of nothing more you could expect from a performer, especially when tasked with playing a folk gig on a Friday night. It was refreshing, and Passenger has reaffirmed my faith that in this modern age, where everything we know is tainted by the there-but-not-really-there-in-that-you-can’t-hold-them-in-your-hand social media culture, you can still experience some very real music. I would jump at the chance to see Passenger again, and recommend anyone else to do so. Needless to say, he sells out the intimate venues he chooses pretty quickly.
*(I warned you, it’s been awhile since I’ve done a gig review).