Live Review

Melody Pool/ Peter Bibby @ Black Bear Lodge

I love Sunday sessions with a passion, but I had never been to one at the Black Bear Lodge, which is by far my favourite venue in the Valley. I was pretty excited to see heaps of cute little candlelit tables set up in the room, which meant we were in for an intimate gig.

No opening act had been confirmed before the gig, but Matt Henry was there on the night to open up the dual headline gig. He seemed a bit shy, as he got into his first song, his folk/country style rang through the acoustic guitar and down to earth lyrics. After the first song, he apologized for wearing shorts and said he had forgot his pants, using that opportunity to make an appropriate Simpsons joke. (In my opinion, there is never an inappropriate time to make a Simpsons joke). Songs Little Dead Bird, and You And I were highlights of set, and were brought to life by his honest and emotive voice.

The headlining act I had headed out to see, Melody Pool, was on next, at 8.50. She opened her set with song Richard, off her new record, and her rich and deep voice rang through right through to my spine. Playing solo with an acoustic guitar, her voice seemed almost too big for her body. Playing self-proclaimed ‘sad girl ballads’, the continued on with Southern Nightshade, and warned the audience that they were in for a depressing set. As her set left me increasingly wanting to pop some more Prozac, the punters were getting a bit rowdy, which resulted in her telling them to ‘shut the f*ck’ up’, before continuing into Old Enough – which was about sex. Continuing in this savage fashion, she played a song about Henry, who ‘was a right shit and a bit of an asshole’. The caliber of her songwriting was excellent, and I for one would never want to be on her bad side. Melody Pool is not one to play covers, but her cover of Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac was incredible, and helped (even if ever-so- slightly) to lift the atmosphere of the gig. By this time people had settled in and bit, and were sitting on the floor. The remainder of her set saw her play the three main singles from her new record – Deep Dark Savage Heart, one of my favourite tracks of hers in general, Black Dog, a deeply personal track about the highs and lows of depression, and Love She Loves Me. Her emotive voice brought the somber topics of her music to life, and the energy pulsated through the energy she brought to the stage, and the way she paired it with witty banter and a general attitude of not giving a shit made it a refreshing, (yet savage) performance.

Now, before this show I had never heard of Peter Bibby, and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but anyone who can use the words ‘cunnilingus’ and ‘I want to shoot you in the head’ in the same song and have it make sense, is a winner in my books. His brand of satirical Australian folk/country/rock had a cult following, and his akubra hat and beat up electric guitar matched his personality to a T. The Black Bear Lodge was packed, and for what was a left wing underground musical comedian, he seemed to have a huge cult following, with many of the punters also dressed in their most ‘Straya’ gear, singing along to all the songs. He moved so his set so fluidly, and at most points, almost sounded like he was making up the lyrics on the spot. Buy Me Some F*cking Biscuits, and Bad Bad Dog were early popular songs in his set, and the c-bomb seemed to be his all time favourite word. Promoting the $5 spirits bargain at Rics, he went into a sadder song, about falling in and out of love with ‘a perfect bloody stranger’. Crash and Burn, Goodbye Johnny, and Song About Gazza were also crowd favorites in the latter half of his set, and the drunken crowd was fully endorsing his inappropriate (but still hilarious) behaviour and language. To be able perform such entertaining and satirical (at least I think it was satire – there are people who legitimately act like this in the world), music whilst keeping a straight face, smashing the Jameson and Sprites, and being able to play the guitar, is a skill which Peter Bibby has mastered to a fine art. Peter Bibby and Melody Pool seem like an odd combination to be on tour together, but somehow it just works. The sad girl ballads balance out the country music on drugs, and create an atmosphere of musical awe, in all senses. I’m definitely hoping to see both artists again in the future.

Olivia Shoesmith

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