Reviewed on Thursday January 7 (photo by Dan Boud)
A typically nonchalant Kurt Vile and his backing band The Violators materialised on the Sydney Opera House stage Thursday night as if they had just rolled out of bed. Never to be overstated, Vile – behind a shy grin and mop of brown hair – leaned into the microphone to quietly word ‘hello’.
Though perhaps his lack of audience engagement may seem bothersome to some, it’s within the peculiar quirks and endearingly awkward subtleties that lies the essence of Vile’s charm. Across a two-hour set punctuated by regular guitar changes, he traversed his extensive catalogue, from ‘Jesus Fever and ‘Pretty Pimpin’ to older assets ‘Dead Alive’ and ‘Freak Train’. Of the newer material, ‘I’m An Outlaw’ takes on echoes of Neil Young while ‘Dust Bunnies’ is reminiscent of a smoky Bob Dylan.
While the standout ‘Wakin On A Pretty Daze’ benefited from additional players on bass and drums, Vile shines best when accompanied by just his acoustic guitar, as well in collaboration with Stella Mozgawa from Warpaint on the drums.
Here, he often exaggerated key guitar moments on the pedals. Although the audience couldn’t always make out the expression on his face, the action felt like a knowing smirk.
