{"id":156,"date":"2015-03-27T00:45:13","date_gmt":"2015-03-27T00:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/?p=156"},"modified":"2018-12-21T02:02:52","modified_gmt":"2018-12-21T02:02:52","slug":"the-waterboys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/index.php\/2015\/03\/27\/the-waterboys\/","title":{"rendered":"The Waterboys @ Melbourne Recital Centre"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/thedwarf.com.au\/img\/the-waterboys.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"582\" src=\"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/the-waterboys.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/the-waterboys.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/the-waterboys-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/the-waterboys-768x447.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s always a good day when Edinburgh-born troubadour&nbsp;<strong>Mike Scott&nbsp;<\/strong>comes to Melbourne town with his latest incarnation of&nbsp;<strong>The Waterboys<\/strong>&nbsp;in tow. This band is a shape-shifting entity (featuring, to date, a mind-boggling 70+ musicians) and it\u2019s lineup morphs depending on (a) where in the world Scott happens to be and (b) just what he is setting out to achieve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of tonight\u2019s six-piece, only the core unit of Mike Scott, his long-time compatriot folk\/rock fiddler Steve Wickham and drummer Ralph Salmins were in the band during their last visit. Whilst Scott\u2019s modus operandi keeps everyone honest \u2013 with a back catalogue of literally hundreds of songs that he could choose to dust off at any given time. Fans know an evening like this suggests an edgy and slightly dangerous proposition where nothing is promised and anything is possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tonight we are fortunate in that he has chosen to play in a venue with outstanding acoustics \u2013 always a great start. He\u2019s showcasing 2015\u2019s critically-lauded&nbsp;<em>\u2018Modern Blues\u2019<\/em>&nbsp;(its title an updated reference to arguably Scott\u2019s career defining album&nbsp;<em>\u2018Fisherman\u2019s Blues\u2019<\/em>) and we are all eager to see just how well the newborn material fits alongside that track and its older siblings like \u2018The Whole of the Moon\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is just the second date of a brief Australasian tour coinciding with their appearance at Bluesfest 2015 in Byron Bay. It graciously takes in Perth, Melbourne, Auckland, and Sydney \u2013 finishing in Byron on the 4th April. T-shirts featuring the tour dates prove the hot item at the merchandise desk and I spy many punters reappearing from the restrooms proudly sporting their new purchase. I can\u2019t really blame their enthusiasm for Waterboys fans. Tonight\u2019s gig is a major occasion and has been a long time in coming.<br>The evening\u2019s stroll down \u2018the golden road\u2019 of The Waterboys back catalogue kicks off in thundering fashion with the new album\u2019s opening track \u2018Destinies Entwined\u2019. Mike fairly spits the words at the front row, all angular guitar swings and impassioned leg kicks. The band already flat out and cornering on two wheels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Waterboys - Milano, september 29, 2015\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QpmezHUOQK0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We are in for a barnstormer of an evening. The boys don\u2019t miss a beat and break straight into the follower \u2018Still A Freak&#8217;. To my ears an autobiographical celebration of self belief:<br><em>\u201cI\u2019m still a freak, I ain\u2019t been gagged, I\u2019m still flying the flagThe game\u2019s moving so fast, who knows where it\u2019s gonna be this time next week!Empires rise and fall, but through it all. I\u2019m still a freak!\u201d<\/em><br><br>Scott pauses proceedings momentarily to compliment the earthy interior stylings of Melbourne&#8217;s Art Centre Recital Hall.<em> <\/em><br><br><em>\u201cI like this Hall\u2026 yeah&#8230; It seems to my eyes, \u2018Flinstonian\u2019\u2026 Do you know what that means? That means it was designed by the same guys who designed the sets for the Flintstones!\u2026. \u2018Flintstonian Hall, Melbourne\u2019 I name this place\u2026. Yabba dabba doooo!\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He then sidles stage right to the second keyboard and as the familiar chords of that precious first single \u2018A Girl Called Johnny\u2019 ring out over the ecstatic audience, we are at once transported back to 1983. Brother Paul nails the stabbing organ jabs and Wickham\u2019s fiddle accompaniment is so skilfully delivered, for a split second we completely forget we are not hearing the iconic Thistlewaite saxophone parts. Simply stellar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=f-MOE8CxCiM\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Once the applause drops off there is a reverent quiet between songs. Not a heckle, woot or callout. Not a whisper. The audience sit in absolute pin-dropping silence. Ears pricked for what gem he might bestow upon us next. New single \u2018November Tale\u2019 follows, an exquisitely sentimental tale about meeting a lover after 27 years and reflecting on the different paths they\u2019d followed \u2013 she, a life in the church \u2013 he, the travelling minstrel. From the front row i can discern Scott delivers the vocal with eyes completely closed. Completely in the moment and the lyric. The warmth and affection in his voice is tangible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cWe walked along a while&#8230; Like we were old companions&#8230;But I could feel the gap between us&#8230; Yawning like a canyon&#8230;She with her church and code&#8230;Her extravagant beliefs&#8230;Me a creature of the road&#8230;A child of dust and grief\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AlNlVHRRz9s\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:left\">It\u2019s major singalong time as Mike opts to trot out the classic \u2018Glastonbury Song\u2019. Scott\u2019s lyrics have always been a magical strain of sentimentality, mysticism and romance \u2013 and when powered along by the swirling gospel inspired organ of Brother Paul, soaring lead guitar of New Yorker Zach Ernst and insistent basslines of Muscle Shoals\u2019 David Hood \u2013 simply grows wings, circles around us all and whips the room into a spiritual whirlwind. Involuntarily heads sway and religious beliefs aside, it is irresistible not to join in on the chorus: \u201c<em>I just found God&#8230;I just found God&#8230;I just found God where he always was&#8230;\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The show\u2019s immense backdrop features the striking \u2018Modern Blues\u2019 artwork \u2013 an imposing lichen-covered scarecrow standing in a field of waist high wildflowers with outstretched arms. It\u2019s imposing when the lights are up but when the lights are turned way down low, something else happens entirely. It\u2019s profile uncanningly frames Scott\u2019s wiry figure perfectly and gives him ominous black wings. A well considered design placement or happy accident? It matters not \u2013 it is perfectly fitting.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/thedwarf.com.au\/img\/20150330-1600-0-the-waterboys.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"687\" src=\"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/20150330-1600-0-the-waterboys-1024x687.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/20150330-1600-0-the-waterboys-1024x687.png 1024w, https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/20150330-1600-0-the-waterboys-300x201.png 300w, https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/20150330-1600-0-the-waterboys-768x515.png 768w, https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/20150330-1600-0-the-waterboys.png 1421w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>When Scott introduces \u2018Three Day Man\u2019 from the first album, long time fans are incredulous at their luck. Such an early and rarely played song is a true gem to hear live. It\u2019s a fabulous rollicking paean to the noncommittal relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cPeople snatch instinctively for whatever crutch they need\u2026But I promise not to abuse you, if you don\u2019t abuse meAnd that means that I\u2019ll be never your slave\u2026It means that you\u2019re not here to stay,it means we\u2019d never be friends for life\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The poignant moments just keep coming. \u2018Nearest Thing to Hip\u2019 follows. A lament about all the cool interesting little funky shops disappearing in Scotland. <em>\u201cYou\u2019re okay in Melbourne because you guys have Brunswick Street\u201d<\/em>, Mike laughs. He sings,<em> \u201cthere\u2019s a little record store with a wooden floor&#8230;that ain\u2019t there no more that I used to frequent\u201d<\/em><br>Mike gets the audience to sing along to it\u2019s infectious chorus:<em>\u201cit was the nearest thing to hip&#8230;in this shithole and it\u2019s gone\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_FwPxfEP-8A\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Mike pauses to quell an upset stomach with a paracetamol delivered by the ever attentive stagehand. If he\u2019d been feeling poorly uptil now, the consummate showman sure didn\u2019t show it. As his gulps the pill down, some laddish wit sensing his opportunity calls out a request for \u201cMedicine Bow\u201d. Mike ignores the comment but then answers an earlier audience request and plays \u2018I Can See Elvis\u2019. Yet another of Scott\u2019s fanciful flights of imagination. It\u2019s a crackup.<br><br><em>\u201cI can see ElvisThroned like a king astride a golden HarleySmoking a reefer he just rolledFull of Acapulco GoldWith Hendrix, Dean and Marley\u201d<\/em><br><br>From then on we\u2019re transported squarely into \u2018Big Music\u2019 territory. We\u2019re gifted the iconic \u2018The Whole Of The Moon\u2019, as another gorgeous extended singalong. Just when one wonders how he\u2019s going to top that he delivers the evening\u2019s showstopper performance. The majority of the band leave the stage with only Mike and Steve Wickham remaining. The Boleroesque strains of \u2018Don\u2019t Bang The Drum\u2019 from 1985\u2019s&nbsp;<em>\u2019This Is The Sea\u2019<\/em>&nbsp;ring out of the darkness. Audible gasps from the audience. Tonight\u2019s interpretation of this environmental anthem is a revelation \u2013 compared with the original recorded version \u2013 a full-on assault by a raging indignant, this time Mike is reigned in and restrained. Stuttering the refrain in a trembling voice. The world is now a much darker place and the message has become more of a plea than a demand. It is powerful in it\u2019s restraint. At the song\u2019s end Mike sits at the keyboard, wrung out, emotionless, completely spent and gazes out into the darkness, deep into the audience. He receives the first of the evenings standing ovations. It is one of those moments that resonates and burns itself into the memory banks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Waterboys -  Fisherman&#039;s Blues, Dublin 2015 [HD]\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TsHUxzrfdtE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Mike chooses to finish the main set with the anthemic \u2018Fisherman\u2019s Blues\u2019 followed by an 11 minute rendering of the closing track from \u2018Modern Blues\u2019, \u2018Long Strange Golden Road\u2019 which bookends the main set perfectly. The band then retires for a few minutes before returning to close the show out with another anthem he has made his own. It\u2019s an extended cover of Prince\u2019s \u2018Purple Rain\u2019. Epic.<br><br>We file out of the Recital Centre, all still reeling from what we have just heard and seen. As the trainspotters amongst us pour over tonight\u2019s setlist, we realise quite incredulously that Mike has in fact squeezed in an amazing eight of the nine tracks from the new album. Like a magician\u2019s deft slight of hand, in the rapture of the prestige, none of us ever saw it happen. So, we concur there can really only be one word for it: Magic.<br><br><strong>The Waterboys Setlist:<\/strong><br><em>Destinies Entwined<br>Still A Freak<br>A Girl Called Johnny<br>November Tale<br>Glastonbury Song<br>Rosalind (You Married The Wrong Guy)<br>The Girl Who Slept For Scotland<br>Three Day Man<br>Nearest Thing To Hip<br>I Can See Elvis<br>The Whole Of The Moon<br>Don\u2019t Bang The Drum<br>Fisherman\u2019s Blues<br>Long Strange Golden Road<br><strong>Encore<\/strong><br>Purple Rain (Prince cover)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=V8Daxz3Gbrc\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s always a good day when Edinburgh-born troubadour Mike Scott comes to Melbourne town with his latest incarnation of The Waterboys in tow. This band is a shape-shifting entity (featuring, to date, a mind-boggling 70+ musicians)\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":180,"href":"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156\/revisions\/180"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatgigs.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}