The Weakerthans
Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
Thursday, February 25
The Weakerthans are not rock stars. Which is precisely why they inspire such quiet devotion from fans. Last Thursday evening at the Northcote Social Club, the Winnipeg four-piece played a flawless set to a sold out band room veritably radiating joy as each folk-indie anthem floated into another.
Earnest frontman and chief songwriter John Samson quietly made his way into the spotlight about 10.45pm, grinning widely. His bandmates soon followed, and they launched into 'Night Windows' from 2007’s Reunion Tour. It was a relatively low-key opening, but an appropriate introduction to Samson’s concise and moving snapshots of city living. Samson sees poetry in the mundane; heroes amidst the mire of advanced capitalism. Perhaps better known as the bassist and sometime mouthpiece for defiantly political punk heroes Propaghandi, the beauty of Samson's lyrical work in The Weakerthans overrides any political brow-beating. (Samson emits an exasperated chuckle when fans shouted that band's name between songs). On 'Bigfoot!', he laments “the TV crews” and dreads the morning commute (“soon I’ll go through it again”), yet he hasn’t lost faith. Why? “The visions I see believe in me”.
With a suitably lush introduction out of the way, the band step things up with the classic “Aside” and an anthem-overload from the last three records. “Tournament of Hearts” gets the loudest sing-along of the night, while “Plea from a Cat Named Virtute” brings the evening’s biggest pseudo-mosh. Country flourishes intertwine with gentle ballads, while perfectly constructed rock numbers delicately balance out the folk sensibility. What is made clear throughout is that The Weakerthans are one of the most musically versatile indie acts currently on the circuit.
The crowd is appreciative, if not riotous, although persistent chatting during some of the quieter songs grates. (Generally, the chatters are shouted down by the faithful). It's the band’s first trip to our shores, and it clearly means a lot to many Melbourne punters, none more so than the ecstatic woman pulled up on stage to play guitar on an old track from debut record, “Fallow”. Tears stream down her face as she plucks Samson’s guitar, all flushed cheeks and bliss. The band bob up and down, genuinely flattered by her reaction.
The Weakerthans may have finally been brought here as part of the alternative juggernaut that is the Soundwave Festival, but they hardly fit in with the majority of acts on that tour. There is a quiet resonance and genuine feeling in the music Samson makes, which by sets end, makes the prospect of a return to three-chord chugging unthinkable.
Matthew Joyce