Live Review: The Saboteurs

When was your last phone-free gig? There has been much conversation about the pros and cons of phones and their place within a live music setting, but tonight the option is taken out of hands as we place our phones in pre-provided, impenetrable pouches.

Settling into the jewel-toned theatre seats; it’s hard to think of a dreamier setting to catch The Saboteurs for their first-ever Australia shows. As the band walks onto the stage, Jack White feverishly thrusts his arms upwards instructing the audience to get on their feet. His efforts are greeted with the sounds of hundreds of seats snapping shut like a second wave of applause. The band tears into Salute Your Solution, ripping the song apart and following it up with a swaggering Level that drips with pent up lust. White smiles broadly, pointing to his own grin as if to say “and you think YOU’RE happy to be here”.

“Are you feeling better Melbourne?” beams White, before handing us over to Brendan Benson who says, “It’s my first time here… I’ve been waiting 11 years to say ‘The Saboteurs’.” Benson and White weave their voices and guitars together for Old Enough, and it’s a true pleasure to watch these two licks of the same musical flame bounce off each other. White seems energised and even playful, seeming to enjoy performing without the burden of being ‘Jack White, serious solo performer’. If White and Benson’s collaborative guitar efforts centre stage are the heart of the band, Jack Lawrence’s powerful bass line and easy vocal harmonies are the blood pumping through. 

New single Sunday Driver is a sonic boom of fury and intensity, and while White quips that asking the audience if they wanted to hear new material “used to be the death words back in the day”, the usual rush to the bathroom/bar/smoking area never happens. Now That You're Gone is a thudding heartbreaker helmed by Benson. Having not attended a gig without facing a wall of smartphones for years, the lack of amateur photographers and cinematographers truly makes for a better gig. The absence of phones allows for the band to connect, and for the crowd to give into full musical immersion. 

Lawrence’s unmistakable bass riff ushers us into Steady, As She Goes, though White places his hand over Benson’s fretboard, drawing out the introduction for as long as possible. The song, the first that Benson and White wrote together, is an exquisite all-out jam complete with audience participation. Watching over Benson and White’s prolific guitar work is Patrick Keeler, peering over his drum kit intensely and throwing out a solo. Keeler’s work on drums alone is worth the price of admission, as he goes from Led Zepplin-esque booming to skillful jazz licks with an unmistakable air of Charlie Watts about him. 

While Melbourne is a town notably un-horny for encores, the place may just be burned to the ground if the band does not reappear. Thankfully, they do and the crowd is treated to a scorching encore of Hey Gyp (a cover of a Donovan single) and Only Child, both new tracks to be released on their upcoming album Help Us Stranger, and closing with a raucous Broken Boy Soldier. The song is as heavy as a stampede of elephants, and the band play it like the Four Horsemen of The Apocolypse. 

If there is a better way to spend a Thursday night, this writer does not want to hear about it. The Saboteurs played the goddamn house down, and for one night at least took us back to a time where losing yourself in the moment was more important than a Facebook check-in, or 30 seconds of distorted audio on Instagram. Looking refreshed, enthused, and ready to usher in a new era, one can only hope that a tour supporting Help Us Stranger isn’t too far in the distance. Until then, long may our ears ring!