Wild Nothing at Oxford Art Factory 08.03.13

There's a special period in a bands live history, usually when they're on their first international tour, that everything coincides to create a perfect show. The audience is keen and excitable, the songs are new, and the band, riding on high on the wave of being paid to play their shows around the world, aren't yet jaded by the business, the hours, the dickheads in the crowd.

I had the pleasure of attending one of these shows when Wild Nothing the Oxford Art Factory, with what was as perfect a set as you could hope for.

Frontman Jack Tatum's songs are of the dreamy guitar pop variety, all 80s style synths, intricate  arrangements and whispered vocals submerged in the mix. With such aural complexit, it's not the sort of music that should work live, but the band carried it off with ease and skill. The material covered tracks from the two full lengths Gemini and Nocturne (with gems like Only Heather and This Chain Won't Break getting the hugest response), the lead track off their Golden Haze EP, as well as a special cover version of The Go Betweens. For all their 80s signifiers, the songs never feel like throwbacks or kitschy indulgence. This is thoroughly modern music filtered through vaselined speakers.

The greatest surprise was the fidelity with which they recreated that warm, rich sound. What I always assumed was some very nifty production on top of excellent songwriting may actually have just been excellent musicianship on top of excellent songwriting. The Oxford Art Factory's fantastic sound setup is of course partly responsible- I've never seen/heard a bad show there. It should really be recognised as the best room for music in Sydney. Volumes were kept at appropriate levels and the mix is modulated so well it was easy to isolate the notes played on any given instrument.

Not to underestimate the skills of the performers, but the real key to the enjoyment of this show was the crowd. It cannot be overstated just how much better a show is when it's not populated with smartasses who like to yell out during the breaks, or punters who either record the show on their smartphones or pay $45 to talk to their friend in the crowd for the whole show. (And sometimes these qualities inextricably combine in the one human who has defied natural selection and still walks the planet). The Oxford Art Factory crowd were as excited to be there as the band themselves. Each song was greeted with enthusiasm, chorus singalongs and wild applause. Photos were taken quickly and unobtrusively, and conversation was discreet and kept to a minimum. It was a great crowd for a great band in a great venue. (It's how more shows will be, when they finally let me run things).