Reviewed on Sunday November 9
On the walls behind the Newtown Social Club stage the blurred instruction to “Put On Your 3D Glasses Now” is being displayed. The soundcheck is long – too long, in fact, given 50 minutes pass between supports and the Jinja Safari co-frontman Pepa Knight launching into his first song. Onstage, alongside guitar and drums, we have a zither, a tabla, an instrument I believe is a swara mandala, and a metal frame supporting a half-dozen dangling bananas on strings. The pre-gig soundtrack is equally bizarre. Greenskeepers’ ‘Lotion’ segues into America’s ‘A Horse With No Name’ – both fine songs, sure, but you imagine they’d have a hard time making small talk if they met at a party.
It is an intimate audience, but this is also the evening of the Newtown Festival and most of the day’s weary revellers have long since retired. Given there is a charge for the 3D glasses, only around half the crowd has bothered with them, and beyond the novelty value they aren’t really necessary. The projections behind the band are a kaleidoscopic blend of Sgt. Pepper meets Jodorowsky, and give the night a pleasantly cinematic atmosphere. The set itself, though, is something of a disappointment. Knight’s vocals are almost entirely unintelligible over the drums and synth, and there is as much energy to his performance as a broken espresso machine. Things seem a little more promising with second song (and early audience favourite) ‘Clams’, but even then the enjoyment is marred by harsh, discordant blares of static that are difficult to distinguish between deliberate effect and sound glitch. It might be the bananas.
Knight is an endearing and affable performer, and his band is strong (points to the synth/flautist, and to the tabla player who has to repeatedly stop what he is doing because his robes are getting tangled). But looking around the subdued crowd, more bemused than entertained, you can’t help but feel a lot more work needed to go into this gig. The psychedelic droning and lounge-room-relaxed vibes would have gone down great if everyone were stoned, but as it is the night is sadly flat, with only occasional moments of real interest.
It’s great that music of such a, frankly, niche genre here in Australia is being sustained and explored. With time, here’s hoping Knight is able to develop his live act into something more engaging.
