THURSDAY, 2nd April 2009
The Basement, Sydney, NSW

Support: Sarah Kelly
Setlist Glenorchy Bunyip
Lupus
Farmer's Son
Sunstroke House
Little Wonder
One Crowded Hour
Pennywhistle
Stranger Strange
The Cold Acre
Rich Girl
Bottle Baby
The Slant
There Is No Such Place
----------------------
Heartbeat and Sails
Days
This Train Will Be Taking No Passengers


FRIDAY, 3rd April 2009
The Basement, Sydney, NSW

Support: Ned Collette

Setlist Glenorchy Bunyip
Lupus
Farmer's Son
Sunstroke House
Little Wonder
One Crowded Hour
Pennywhistle
Stranger Strange
The Cold Acre
Rich Girl
Bottle Baby
The Slant
There Is No Such Place
----------------------
Heartbeat and Sails
Days
This Train Will Be Taking No Passengers


SATURDAY, 4th April 2009
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, NSW

Support: Andrew Morris

Setlist:
Glenorchy Bunyip
Lupus
Farmer's Son
Sunstroke House
Little Wonder
One Crowded Hour
Pennywhistle
Stranger Strange
Cold Acre
Baron of Sentiment
The Slant
There Is No Such Place
----------------------
Heartbeat and Sails
Days
Train

The Toff in Town, Melbourne
by James McGauran

A full house greets Augie March this evening for what I believe is the third sold out Melbourne show on this tour “Augie March on the quiet”, a handful of shows in more intimate surrounds playing a set of more acoustic based tunes. Glenn Richards and Co. take stage for a fairly solid set of tunes new and old. For my money, The Toff In Town is the perfect setting to see Augie March play.

To add to the intimacy the band have table lamps and lamp shades strewn about in various positions onstage, including one right up the front on Kiernan Box’s keyboards. I have to admit to, despite owning all of Augie March’s releases and being a fan of the band, I’m not as overly familiar with their newer material as I am their older material. A few songs I had to do some research on, sitting at the stereo skipping through tracks til I recognised the tune from the show. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance the “Augies” put on this evening, it seems such a natural thing for them to do. Much of their material really calls for smaller surroundings much more so than seeing the lads at a Festival, and tonight, despite lack of electric guitars, was the perfect example of this. Though I must admit the first time seeing the band live was back at Livid 2000 just months before the release of Sunset Studies. I had seen the clip to Moth Ball on Rage late one night and been won over, and I followed the band’s output from that point onwards.

Years later, and having seen the band quite a handful of times now, one thing that kept me smiling on this fine evening was the fact that they seemed to suffer naught to very few “technical difficulties” which somehow, like a hoodoo hex had been placed upon them, they’ve always seemed rather prone too. Whether it be their choice of gear, the amount of gear, or preparation into each performance, who knows? But tonight’s show went off without a hitch as far as I could tell, despite Richards’s obvious hangover, looking at times like he may faint. Funny that when judging some band’s performances you expect everything to be perfect, but after years of average luck on stages across the country, the simple fact that Augie March manage a set without drama simply has me smiling. It’s almost a smile of relief. The band exude such a charm that most Augie audiences usually embrace difficulties as the expected thing and laugh along with the band as they blushingly apologise for any delays. Early in the set we’re treated to a rather different rendering of the song that launched the band into wider exposure, One Crowded Hour. Not so sure about this one, but the addition of a horn section often persuades me.

Old tune Rich Girl is a highlight for me, showcasing exactly how such simple arrangements can be enhanced with brilliant melody and lyrics. On the newer side of songs, Pennywhistle from the band’s latest offering is a damn treat, being one of the more upbeat of songs, lushly orchestrated with the horn section and Kiernan Box on Pennywhistle among other duties. This had most of the crowd dancing away, feet a-tappin’ and hands a-clappin’. As always, each album from the band takes some growing time. After seeing much of the new material live now I’m rather sold on Watch Me Disappear.

The slow and almost casual experimentation that goes on within the band now seems such a natural progression it only further enhances the well familiar and defining sound of one of Australia’s more naturally and effortlessly charming bands. Nearing the end of the set now we’re treated to a duo interpretation of a live Augie classic This Train Will Be Taking No Passengers. Acoustic, mellow, brilliant. I missed the deeper, echoed “Train!” that usually follow Glen’s, but I sung those to myself while I watched on, smiling. Finally we’re treated to a Kinks cover, Days, which could have easily have passed for an Augie original if none were the wiser, despite the fact it was a little simpler orchestrated than an Augie original. Crowd applauds, the band exit stage smiling, Glenn perhaps relieved. Audience leaves smiling. Not too shabby. The end.



MONDAY, 13th April 2009
Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival, NSW

With: Michael Franti, Ben Harper, Missy Higgins, Luka Bloom, Angelique Kidjo and more.



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SATURDAY, 18th April 2009
West Coast Blues and Roots Festival, NSW

With: Ben Kweller, Kev Carmody, Little Red, Paul Kelly and more.

Setlist: Glenorchy Bunyip
Pennywhistle
??
Farmer's Son
Days
The Slant
There Is No Such Place
Brundisium
One Crowded Hour
Train



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