This is not a review. You will know that I tend to only bother with bands that I like anyway, not one to sit sniping on the sidelines. But even within those limits, I simply like Austra too, too much to be in any way objective. I fretted about whether to take a camera on this the sixth of June, then did so but restricted myself to a few snaps. It was good in a way that the only possibility was to shoot flash. I tend to think that is uber-intrusive, so took maybe 10 with the speedlite. So the piccies are rough, but they do the job as a momento. We were there too early, early enough for me to ‘bother’ Maya (drummer, back seat driver and also 50% of Trust). She was really friendly and keen to chat, but when she asked “wassup” I didn’t quite know what was, so we let them get on with their business.
The support were Salford locals Modern Blonde, 3 guys with keys and growly vocals. Are they really the first Christian electro dance band I’ve seen? With lyrics that tell you god is watching, and a chorus of “god…..god….god” you certainly have to wonder.
Despite being their early enough to qualify as stalkers, we still had to work to maintain our places on the front corner of the stage. Well, not that hard, there was room to squidge some friends in there alongside us.
The Soup Kitchen in Manchester’s Northern Quarter is (in the nicest possible way) under reconstruction, or at least the cellar gig room is; a fixer-upper with charm. The stage is tiny, so much so that when they got themselves up there, the Lightman sisters, aka Tasseomancy, were still so tiny that I think they were hidden from the crowd by the front row. And we were close enough that I was in serious danger of being smacked by Romy’s ever snake-charming grape-vining hands.
My other concern was over-expectation, being so excited that I’d end up flat, and I’m therefore both happy and relieved to report that there was no such occurence. I expected as much; I have watched enough live videos of Austra to know they cut it as well with an audience as in a studio.
Katie was petite and charming, but hell, the voice that comes out is elemental in its purity, whether softly in the almost grunted lower ranges, or showing off her opera heritage the other side of the mountains with that top register.
I’ve been trying to see this band for too long – and the stories why not are also too long. I’d even managed to see Trust, Maya’s band, TWICE in the meantime. I think the way that they have brought together all these elements, Maya, then the Tasseo vocals, Katie’s lead and of course the other guys, adds marvellously to the complexity. That’s at its most evident in ‘The Beat And The Pulse’ – my most played track and the best for me tonight.
They played a new song – no idea what it was. There was no set list, just Maya’s laptop, and it was a decision on the hoof anyway, quick band conflab and a joint “Hell yeah, let’s do it”.
Watch kiddies, look at that bloke dance, he’s old enough to know better. Ha, watch me go.
We sweated, there was an encore, it was all just brilliant as I hoped, and that total lack of objectivity represents the truth as I see it right at this moment.
For more of Mike’s excellent photos from the show, please go HERE.
Here’s some footage of Austra performing “The Choke” at the Manchester Soup Kitchen show described above.
Here’s some recent footage of Austra live in Germany:
