Live Review: The Smith Street Band, Press Club, Bec Sandridge

The Tivoli was set for a massive night with the sold-out show for The Smith Street Band.

The night launched with a stellar opening performance from Press Club, which could only be indicative of a big and bright night ahead. The crowd seemed rowdy and ready for a good night of tunes. Bec Sandridge commenced her show and unfortunately didn’t have the same level of energy to carry the set. The crowd very quickly dissociated and no longer focussed on the live show in front of them. This was possibility due to the fact that Sandridge’s performance was too loud instrumentally, causing audiences to become disengaged and slightly put off.

Long anticipated, The Smith Street Band opened with It Kills Me to Have to Be Alive, a crowd pleaser and a really good tune to kick off the night. The difference between the instrument and vocal levels and those featured in Sandridge’s performance was immediately noticeable. The crowd was absolutely roaring and the energy in the room was second to none, it was like every audience member was truly a diehard fan. This is a very rare kind of atmosphere, and interesting to witness firsthand.

However, for those who aren’t absolute diehard fans of The Smith Street Band, could have appreciated more of a break up between tracks to differentiate between songs, which seemingly blended together even by the fourth track of the night. Lead singer Wil Wagner’s engagement with the crowd seemed low and only really begun by the fifth song of the night. It was lighthearted and friendly but failed to create an audience to artist relationship with any real depth. Despite this, there was a consistent energy throughout the crowd which at no point during the night faded.

In the second half of the set, approaching the end of the night, the best music came out. Surrender made apparent the level of fandom in the room, and went a long way to hyping up the crowd even more. This was easily the best performance in the set, with the whole venue rocking out unapologetically. Followed soon after by the crowd-pleasing tune of Passiona, thought to be the last song of the night, however as predicted a second wind by the band followed, noticeably having not had played some major songs yet.

The night and The Smith Street Band’s set closed with their biggest hit Death To The Lads, which went off, despite not having any noticeable increase in energy from the band. Nevertheless, the crowd engagement was at an all-time high and the song proved to be a massive singalong, which was a great way to end the night. Realistically however, the night was carried by the audience rather than the artist as there was no overly energetic lighting or production throughout the set that contributed to the atmosphere or energy of the crowd, nor was The Smith Street Band very engaging with the audience to create the energy that was experienced in the night.

Though it was an enjoyable show from an outrageously talented band, Wagner’s energy was low when drawing comparisons to previous shows. Maybe it was due to the journey from their Toowoomba show the night before. What was important was that the crowd was happy, dancing, and singing along regardless. Had there been a different crowd, it could have been an entirely difference gig.