Augie March, Ro @ The Lansdowne, Sydney 26th May 2018

Augie March’s recently released Bootikins album has found the group in fine form, balancing the art and the emotion of their music to resounding effect. It shows on stage too  a band in union and musical communion, relaxed and confident and bathing in the warm glow of fandom from the Lansdowne audience.

Earlier in the evening, Sydney singer/songwriter Ro (aka Rowena Wise). Solo with electric guitar, she captivated the swelling crowd with songs that sat between ornate folk and melancholic indie. They inhabit that sweet spot between ambitious writing and the awareness of the power of simple ear-catching melody. The music of Courtney Marie Andrews came to mind when listening to Ro’s impressive set.

Opening with The Hole In Your Roof, Augie March immediately set the sonic tone for the evening. A crystalline sound mix with Glenn Richards’ voice front and centre and the band musically in simpatico with each other. In years gone by, Richards’ live performances have sometimes been frustrating and distracting but tonight he was at the top of his game. His voice has never sounded better, negotiating screes of words and cascading choirboy melodies, and he had a warm, self-deprecating and hilarious line in banter, often with drummer David Williams, between songs. The rest of the band got about their business, whether it was the freight train rhythm and roll of This Train Will Be Taking No Passengers, delicate musical backdrops such as The Slant (featuring Ro on violin) or gentle hymnal sounds of The Night Is A Blackbird. Augmented by a brass trio, they created a huge ocean swell of sound when required, surging choruses that recalled similar aspirations of The Saints. Bootikins material fared exceptionally well with When I Am Old and Bitter Clingerzz particular standouts. Their command of dynamics mean they can transition from a bristling rock sound to sublime intimacy at a moment’s notice.

They know that a show would be incomplete without a couple of songs in particular and they did them justice, inciting audience accompaniment on the iconic One Crowded Hour and the beauty of There Is No Such Place. Each time Augie March reemerge with a new album there are murmurs that it might be the last, but on the strength of the spirit and music on display tonight they would do well to banish any such thoughts and keep bathing in the creative glow they appear to be currently relishing.

Chris Familton