Reviewed on Sunday January 17
With a style steeped in darkened country bending to and around the incredible power of Rob Snarski’s vocals, the sounds of The Blackeyed Susans made for an ideal match with the Spiegeltent for a one-off show. Celebrating over 25 years of making music with a lineup that never stands still – having included members of The Bad Seeds, Dirty Three and The Drones – the sold-out show by the self-proclaimed ‘moody romantics’ made for an enriching and deeply moving Sunday night.
Having emerged from the Perth scene in the late ’80s as a side project alongside The Triffids, Chad’s Tree and Martha’s Vineyard, The Blackeyed Susans were set to record an EP for the fun of it, before dissolving entirely. Yet even now through stints in Sydney and Melbourne, there is a certain harking back to this distant city in the collective members’ heyday while remaining refreshing and new – indeed, with new songs in tow. Backed by crunchy acoustics, double bass and a touch of accordion, The Blackeyed Susans’ performance was made ever more textural with a trio of sombre strings to mark the night.
From the first song that the late David McComb wrote for Snarski to sing, ‘Ocean Of You’ (a stirring number about the perils of becoming too enraptured in a relationship) to the rollicking ‘Smokin’ Johnny Cash’ – and the breathy hum and triumphant harmonies of Snarski and J.P. Shilo on everything else in between – The Blackeyed Susans covered plenty of ground. Particularly heart-warming were the cries of sweet nostalgia at the mention of ‘Glory Glory’ and the subsequent swaying to the joyous keys that the track induced. While ballads elicited hazy smiles from the audience, the more rocking tracks also held a mighty stomp that could be felt through the floor, and channelled a warmth that coursed throughout the tent.
Ending on this note, The Blackeyed Susans paired a honeyed ballad consisting of only Snarski’s voice, keyboard and strings, with their pounding cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘State Trooper’. Beginning from a warbling and seemingly innocent bassline, the track slowly built up to form a sprawling nightmare of a song with a good dose of shredding, cementing a performance by a band that is as versatile as it is affecting.
