Death Cab For Cutie
The Forum, Melbourne
Tuesday, 24th February, 2009
I've seen Seattle's Death Cab For Cutie three or four times now. Maybe that's my problem. They're one of those reliably "solid" bands, which, depending on your preference, regularly sound like a greatly amplified, fuller version of their albums. While vital to the band's sound, each member has their requisite rock moves, facial grimaces and "feeling it" moments. It seems. Who am I to say they're not, but when a low key, fluttery love song is rising through the speakers and a band member or two is writhing as if to tackle a Slayer riff, it's...unsettling.
That said, a decade years into their career the band has such a raft of classic songs that it doesn't detract. Kicking off with the one two punch of 'Marching Bands of Manhattan' and 'The New Year', opening tracks from Plans and Transatlanticism respectively, is a clever, early rush. The slightly muddy bass mix that dogs so many at The Forum is cleared up a few songs in, though by the time a long haired Ben Gibbard says "Hey. We're Death Cab For Cutie. Dig!" it translates as "A little more crowd hysteria in the monitors please". * A great 'Movie Script Ending' suggests such a thing is coming but the weakish Narrow Stairs track 'No Sunlight' and a strangely lukewarm 'Grapevine Fires' fails to ignite.
Then something changes. The excellent, moody bassline of 'Summer Skin' stirs the room and from here on in the show kicks up a gear. 'Soul Meets Body' is all anthemic and free from the plasticky shackles of its recorded counterpart. A requisite Gibbard solo rendition of 'I Will Follow You Into the Dark' has the kissers and back rubbers in the audience going at it, while the full nine minute chug of 'I Will Posses Your Heart' - Gibbard switching to keys halfway through - plays to the booths up the back. The solid 'Title and Registration' and 'Cath' complete the transformation.
There's not much in the way of interaction tonight, at least with the fans. Apart from a general goodwill and polite thankyous, the band stick to riffing off each other. Which as mentioned seems a little stalled such is their slick performance. There's no incendiary heights reached for, a la your Drones or your Arcade Fire. No mistakes. Instead, faithful recreation is the order of the day. Still the impact of a few tunes about gets there anyway, most of which come from the bands transformative album Transatlanticism. Even the band seem to know it, finishing with four from that record in a row. 'The Sound of Settling' rounds out the main set, before they return with 'Expo '86', a beautiful 'Tiny Vessels' (in which Gibbard seems to visibly withdraw from the line "Yeah you are beautiful but you don't mean a thing to me"), and an epic, brutal, 'Transatlanticism'.
It's a great, if not explosive, show. As expected.
(Pic: Kristy Lee)
*with apologies to Andy Kent