Live Review: Oh Mercy, RVG

RVG ride a wave of New York punk and UK Goth, as a swarm of Friday nighters hit The Workers Club for tonight’s Rolling Stone Live Lodge instalment. Frontwoman Romy Vager is a towering silhouette of fast fingers and raw emotion – expertly hitting the guitar with Robert Smith levels of nonchalance. Vager’s aloofness could be mistaken for disinterest or even moody boredom, but her demeanour slots in perfectly with the likes of Patti Smith and Rowland S Howard. Heart Paste encapsulates the overall sound of RGV perfectly, as the band go above and beyond the call of duty of a pub gig support act.

And so begins the special-edition line up of Oh Mercy. Indeed it is very special, as lead singer Alex Gow has brought along the Jamaican bobsled team of alt-Aus royalty. A solo opening of Lady Eucalyptus, Gow slowly welcomes a seemingly endless list of new faces. With a plentiful scattering of new Oh Mercy tracks, Saskwatch’s Liam McGorry, Ceci Dowling of Hoy and even Robert McComb of The Triffids fame make an appearance. Someone in the crowd quips that tonight is really more like “Alex Gow and friends” than an Oh Mercy gig. This sentiment is proven wholly appropriate when Gow leaves to mingle in the audience with mates, while The Panics frontman Jae Laffer takes to the stage. “I consider it a birthday present to me,” says Gow, as Laffer premieres a new Panics song for the crowd. The punters attempt to sing Happy Birthday – it doesn’t go well.

The round robin of über-talent continues when Olivia Bartley (aka Olympia) is welcomed with riotous applause. The duo are a perfect pairing: Bartley’s soulful crooning with Gow’s twangy swagger is inspired. Both have a masterful command of their instrument, and in Let Me Be Him, this connection is proven tenfold.

Gow finally welcomes his Oh Mercy understudies with an explosion of musicality and audience delight. McGorry, Dowling, and McComb are all on board, and local legend Laura Jean is at the bassist’s helm. Without You is an absolute treat for fans, but Gow proves that tonight, more than anything, is about having a good time with your mates.

The totally unique sense of camaraderie and unadulterated enjoyment is utterly contagious. It is something that so many try to fabricate and pull out of thin air, but never successfully. Gow and co have rediscovered the lost art of a pub gig get-together. Here’s hoping they’re not the only ones.