Reviewed on Saturday February 14

Hockey Dad are all Vegemite cheeks and bopping limbs; their exuberance and chutzpah proved to be a wise choice to kick off the evening. Newbie ‘Can’t Have It’ has all the makings of another endless-summer jam, while ‘I Need A Woman’ and ‘Seaweed’ concluded the set not with a whimper, but with a bang. Were one to sum up Hockey Dad in a single word, perhaps ‘irrepressible’ may be the most accurate. Party on.

A major shift in members could have sunk Deep Sea Arcade, but it’s instead lent them a new lease on life. Vocalist Nic Mckenzie and guitarist Nick Weaver (formerly on bass) led their new recruits through tried-and-true singles (‘Girls’, ‘Steam’, ‘Lonely In Your Arms’) as well as fresh material that suggested the band is venturing more into the psychedelic, wilder side of the musical spectrum. Consider this space attentively and dutifully watched for what’s next.

A hapless roadie brought Spoon onstage with a hilariously goofy introductory spiel (“All the way from America… my favourite band, Spoons!”). The quintet in question emerged from the shadows and shifted gears directly into ‘Rent I Pay’. The bar was set, and Spoon made a point of clearing it with every track that followed.

It’s certainly a trope that those going to see established veteran acts have zero interest in any recent material. Not the case here – in fact, choice cuts from They Want My Soul were perhaps the most warmly received of the evening. ‘Do You’ grew even stronger live, carving into its precise beat and warm keyboards with aplomb. Another standout moment came during ‘Inside Out’, a rare guitarless track that allowed for Britt Daniel to prowl the outer reaches of the stage with his wireless microphone, ending up on top of an amp toward the back. Expanding out to a five-piece since their previous visit (adding in Divine Fits alum Alex Fischel) has allowed for Spoon’s arrangements to be comfortably fleshed out. Whether it’s three guitars or two keyboards – or even, at one point, three maraca players – it works exceptionally well.

For the encore, the band pulled out a surprise cover of ‘Memory Lane’ by the dearly missed Eddy Current Suppression Ring; followed by a one-two of their 2007 singles, ‘You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb’ and ‘The Underdog’. On Valentine’s Day of all days, all the love in the room was directed squarely at Spoon – and for completely valid reasons.

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