Live Review: Lord Huron @ The Tivoli, Brisbane

Quarter to eight on the dot and the lights vanished, plunging the world into a cold and abrupt darkness that was only alleviated by the sudden presence of Brisbane’s own Asha Jefferies and her partner in crime Jo Davie. It’s not difficult to appreciate the intimacy of a stripped-back set when greeted with a vocal tone as pure and clear as Jefferies’s. Though her guitar was right there, it certainly adopted a secondary role as it gradually became more evident that the instrument of her voice was the most mesmerising; she could’ve walked out there on her own with nothing and delivered an entirely acapella performance. And it would’ve been just as powerful.

In anticipation of the upcoming April release of her debut album Ego Ride, Jefferies played an unreleased song that while remains reminiscent of her other indie-pop singles, was simultaneously able to tap into a rich and inventive new style that is distinctively hers. If the flashlights swaying across the room were indicative of anything, it’s that she walked off that stage with 1,500 new fans.

With a discography as impressive as Lord Huron’s, attempting to imagine which song of theirs would be the perfect soaring opener was virtually impossible since, well, you could play Russian roulette with Spotify shuffle and be guaranteed an anthem for the ages. In this case the band opted for Love Like Ghosts, the first track off their 2015 album Strange Trails. The lights changed from stock-venue-standard to a bright alien green, and six figures materialised on stage.

A rather similar chord progression in the album’s eighth track Meet Me In The Woods made for a seamless transition, except unlike Ghosts it stays in that lower, deep pocket of notes which orchestrates a siren call, a plea if you will, from the band who are calling out from the lichen asking you to meet them in those woods and damn it if we weren’t trying. It was only the second song and already people were moving as if they’d been drawn into one of the faerie revels from Celtic folklore where one dances endlessly and for eternity. Out of all their albums, there’s something mystical and uncanny about Strange Trails in a way that is as uplifting as it is unnerving. Listen through from track one to fourteen and afterward try to convince yourself there’s no such thing as magic, with ‘try’ being the operative word.

Mine Forever, the second record from their 2021 album Long Lost, introduced the classical blend of ethereal, dreamy melody and country blues that is intrinsic to the Huron soundscape. In a suit not dissimilar to the one in the cover art of this album, frontman Ben Schneider ceased dancing long enough to greet everyone with a charming smile and some recording trivia.

“It’s our first time in Brisbane, and I’ve gotta say we came into this whole situation with a lot of preordained love for this city. A very special guy who engineers all our records is from here, and he’s been telling us all about it…actually he won’t shut up about it.” Everyone laughed. Hard. Probably too hard for him to fully grasp the reasoning. Brisbane? The last people you’re going to convince that Brisbane is magical are the people from Brisbane.  Nevertheless, he persevered. “But! Finally we’re here and we can’t tell you how good it feels to have this many people here. I won’t talk too much, but I just like to say hello ya know, sorry it took so long we were kinda feeling it.” He then broke into an Elvis impersonation so brilliant it would send Austin Butler crying off the red carpet. “Now what we’re going to try and do for you tonight is take you on a musical journey… there’s gonna be ups and downs and twists and turns, high fives, pats on the back… pats on the butt… laughs, tears, all that stuff. So if you find yourself saying this isn’t for me, well just wait a couple of songs.” Schneider resurfaced again. “If you came to be happy, we got ya! If you came to dance, we got ya… a little I think. If you came to be depressed well…” Everyone laughed again.  “Anyway that’s all I got for now, we’ll check in on you later!”

The World Ender saw Schneider don a skull mask and wide-brim hat – a truly gothic western illustration that was as visceral as it was entertaining. A skeleton reaching from the depths of the desert out of its yawning grave. Speaking of it, Yawning Grave was arguably one of the most powerful songs of the entire night because Miguel Briseño decided to show everyone just how talented he was at playing the theremin. He plucked long, drawn-out notes from thin air (literally) and wove a yearning, dark melody into the night that was nothing short of haunting.

Schneider popped up again: “Hopefully we’ll be back sooner because right now we’re on a five year kinda plan… which is a little too long we miss you we miss Australia! Tonight there’s a band called NOFX playing, and I was walking around here the other day and I saw the lead singer of that band. So once we’re done here, I might see if I can jump over there and relive my punk rock days.”

Never had so many people opened their phones to Ticketek that quickly in unison. Fortitude Music Hall was about to have a whole other concert at their doors.