Tonight starts off with Mike Noga, the drummer from The Drones, stepping out from behind the kit and giving us a set of acoustic folk, with a distinctly Australian flavour. It’s a skilled and pleasant performance, particularly when he’s joined on the cello by The Gin Club’s Bridget Lewis, with the Cello’s sombre tones adroitly enhancing the maudlin songs. He seems a little underwhelmed by the quiet response he receives, but his attempts to get the crowd involved are mostly endearing rather than annoying, and when he bets the audience that they can’t name the musicians referenced obliquely in Piss On A Butterfly, Brisbane does themselves proud by hitting four out of four, apparently only the second audience to do so. Mike Noga’s music isn’t pushing any boundaries, but it is well written and well performed and makes for an enjoyable opening to the evening.

When Okkervil River take to the stage they launch into Wake and Be Fine from their newest album, I Am Very Far, and it’s an upbeat start, immediately showing the extra energy and ‘rock’ that the band bring to their live show. When they kick into For Real straight afterwards, the crowd cheers and any thoughts that tonight is going to focus entirely on the new album are dispelled. The song starts out a little loose, but it’s a good kind of looseness, giving everything a very live and organic feel.

Over the first seven songs, the band takes in four of their albums, with the likes of John Allyn Smith Sails and The Latest Toughs mixing in with the newer tracks. I’ve not been entirely sold on the new album, and while I still don’t think it compares to their best work, the live versions tonight sit well beside the older works and they make me inclined to give it another chance.

When the band heads off stage to let Will Sheff perform a solo version of A Stone, it’s a definite mid-set highlight. Renown as a lyricist and looking like a cool college professor, Sheff seems like he might be a little reticent on the stage, but he’s nothing of the sort: Transitioning from open, wounded troubadour in one song to throwing out rock poses in the next. His voice is even better live tonight than on the records, with an intensity that isn’t always apparent on the albums.

The band is on song as well, swapping instruments on almost every track and using each one with skill. There is some wonderfully quirky gear tonight too, particularly in the hands of lead guitarist Lauren Gurgiolo. Electric mandolin, banjo, lap-steel guitar, flugelhorn, trombone and much more all make an appearance over different tracks. It never feels forced, which is nice; Each instrument makes a very distinct sound that is not only appropriate for the song, but harks back to the recording and triggers some ‘oh, that’s how they did that’ moments. There's some minor muddiness in the mix that makes some of the more delicate melodies vanish, but it's a minor quibble and does little to distract from the night.

An already good gig becomes great towards the end as the band break out some of their best tracks, with Our Life is Not a Movie and Lost Coastlines finishing off the main set. When they come back for the encore, we’re treated to A Girl In Port, before an absolutely fantastic version of Westfall. It's a striking performance and seems hard to top, but the band certainly do their best with Unless It’s Kicks closing out the show in raucous fashion. It’s hard to imagine a better pair of songs to end the night on, and the crowd obliging joins in when prompted, clapping and singing along. Tonight has been a master-class performance from one of the best bands in the genre. Clocking in at over an hour and a half, it still feels far too short, and it has me whistling their songs all the way home.

- Words and pictures by Sky Kirkham