ESKIMO JOE | 21st Birthday with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (7th March 2018)
In 2006, this music reviewer crammed into a small RSL concert room with fans at a sold out Eskimo Joe gig, eagerly awaiting her favourite band to take to the stage. It was their ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’ album tour, and if the album was anything to go by, it was going to rock. And it absolutely did. In 2018, I was lucky though to see Kav Temperley, Stuart MacLeod and Joel Quartermain again, this time supported by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House, celebrating their 21st Birthday with a symphonic tour, nonetheless less.
It became a night to remember the instant Sydney Symphony Orchestra took to the stage. Performing the instrumental track ‘Comfort You’ (from the album ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’), the audience were already abuzz before Freemantle’s favourite trio, Eskimo Joe took to the stage
First up was ‘New York’ and ‘Older Than You’ from 2006 and 2004 respectively. Fans enjoyed this musical journey back in time, the years marking in part the band’s prime popularity following their unforgettable performance on Channel 10’s variety talk show, ‘Rove Live’.
Celebrating a 21-year career, it seems only fitting Eskimo Joe performed tracks from the 2001 album, ‘Girl’ - ‘Planet Earth’ and ‘Liar’. Longtime fans savoured the orchestral arrangements, amazed that these edgy pop/rock songs could work so well within the iconic walls of the Sydney Opera House.
‘Sarah’ and ‘Wake Up’ followed, before lead singer Kav Temperely gave “thanks to Sydney Symphony Orchestra” for the music that was “so beautifully arranged”.
Temperley then talked briefly about the importance of choosing the right first and last songs on an album, leading into Track 1 from ‘A Song Is A City’, ‘Come Down’ complete with an amazing crescendo.
Eight songs in, and this was the first to receive no preface – nor was it needed. ‘From the Sea’ commenced with SSO’s gentle orchestral arrangement, supported by Temperley’s equally tame vocals. The soft aqua lighting surrounding the onstage performers complemented the lyrics, but also provided a nice throwback to the 2004 music video, which longtime Eskimo Joe fans relished.
Banter and onstage comedy is something Eskimo Joe are known for on the Aussie tour scene, and despite the dignified Sydney Opera House surrounds, the boys had the audience in fits of laughter over the silliest of things. Temperely, wanting to include the SSO in the banter, announced that this tour led him to discover a bassoon for the first time. Guitarist Stu MacLeod piped up, “wind instruments. Funniest instrument there is”, before Kav asked the tuba player “What’s the funniest sound you can make on the tuba?” His question was met with a short, high-pitched *peep*!
MacLeod desperately wanted to run around the orchestra mid-song, tapping the shoulders of the orchestra musicians, but was advised by Temperely “I don’t think they’d be cool with that”. Of course, MacLeod with his larrikin sense of humour cheekily responded “I know, but I still wanna do it.” Welcome to the Sydney Opera House, ladies and gentlemen! The Freemantle Three have well and truly taken over.
Continuing with ‘A Song Is A City’, ‘I’m So Tired’ was next on the set list – an introspective and certainly relatable track if there ever was one.
From the ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’ album, ‘Breaking Up’ started with MacLeod pointing out that drummer Joel Quartermain would be playing two instruments in this song: the drums and guitar. The acoustic guitar introduction was a fresh launch into this song, all other songs prior kicking off with the SSO. This performance really set the tone for the rest of the evening, being the most upbeat song yet.
In reference to ‘Breaking Up’, the band talked about how some songs “just work” with an orchestral arrangement. Stu then announced (in regards their 1998 Triple J hit), “’Sweater’ didn’t work! I’ll put that out there. We did try.” I would love to have seen that rehearsal.
SSO conductor Vanessa Scammell received enormous applause following ‘Childhood Behaviour’, taken from the 2009 album, ‘Inshalla’. The track is highly personal, inspired by experience of changing ones ways before the birth of a firstborn. The lyrics are beautifully complemented by a soft acoustic musical arrangement on the album, but Scammell took this to the next level in their performance, with an extended orchestral finish that ended really, really big. To quote nearby fans on the night, “that was f**king amazing”.
‘Life is Better With You’ came as no surprise on this set list, as the song lends itself effortlessly to an orchestra performance, and it was a truly delightful flashback for fans.
It was ‘Running Out of Needs’ (from 2013’s ‘Wasteland’), however that left the audience tapping their feet upon the wooden Opera House floors, and even had conductor Scammell dancing about come the chorus. Quartermain’s drum skills helped with this, the 4/4 beat and interesting technique adding to the enjoyment of the performance.
Then, all of a sudden… sinister red lighting… band in position... What song could this be? It was, of course, Eskimo Joe’s 2006 hit single ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’. The orchestra really worked into this, leading Temperley into the brilliant, eerie interlude before he took to the guitar to bring the song to a powerful end. Was there a huge ovation? You betcha, there was. And it was very much deserved.
Temperley talked about how the next song was written in the midst of trying to contact family and friends living in London during the 2007 terror attacks. ‘London Bombs’ was a reflective addition to the set list, and certainly took this music reviewer back to her time living in London, travelling the same tube line where these attacks had taken place years prior. Looking around, fans were slowly nodding their heads in solemnity to the beautiful arrangement. Respectful and entrancing.
‘Foreign Land’ continued in this tone, as we learned the song was inspired by Heath Ledger’s death during the band’s G’Day Australia appearance in 2008. Temperley reflected that the song was written while looking out upon a “desolate land of silver skyscrapers and Heath Ledger’s death all over the news”. He described “vultures in the media, picking apart his death” and considered how a young man from Perth felt dying alone in a foreign land. It was a moving dedication met with total silence as the audience soaked up this damning recollection. Performed was a delicate arrangement, possibly even better than the studio album rock version, featuring only the SSO and Temperley on guitar. Appropriately, Temperley weaved in a George Harrison lyric to end the song – the first line from ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’. Fitting, touching and highly memorable.
Announcing they’d be closing the show with two songs from ‘Ghosts of the Past’ (2011), fans laughed as the band joked “and there’ll be no encore, because it takes a really long time to learn these songs”, referring to the talented orchestra of musicians playing Eskimo Joe’s music to precision.
‘Sky’s on Fire’ and ‘Love Is A Drug’ took fans back to the year the album was released, and we relished what was left of the evening with an upbeat finale that would have us singing well into the next day, and whipping out their back catalogue for regular play yet again.
Kav, Stu and Joel thanked the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Vanessa Scammell for the amazing performance, and thanked fans for supporting the band for a whopping 21 years.
Going out with a raw rock sound, lightly accompanied by the SSO and featuring classic Eskimo Joe harmonies was a great way to end the night.
But of course, fans are now desperately wanting more. Could another album be on the horizon? Perhaps another tour? What can I say? Australia just loves the Joe!
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