Augie March are one of those bands who should have been bigger than they are, that’s a fact.
With consistent critical acclaim, and highly regarded by those who know about them, their international, commercial success has never quite matched up to their recognition on these shores.
Their back catalogue is a series of creative, original material which takes a relatively middle of the road sound and subverts it in ways that ensures it never gets boring, but remains accessible.
Maybe it’s their shaky, live performance reputation, the bafflingly low mixing of vocals on some of their recordings or just the fact they’re not American that's to blame.
However, you can’t help but suspect they sabotaged it themselves, never comfortable with the spotlight the success of ‘One Crowded Hour’ brought, and with diminishing returns in the quality of their material after it became a hit. By 2009 the band fizzled out into hiatus as frontman Glenn Richards prepped his debut solo album.
Image © Daniel FosterWith this in mind, their reformation came as something of a surprise last year, particularly as it had apparently happened two and a half years prior and a new album was already ready for release.
Though it wasn’t their finest moment, it was a reminder that even when this band aren’t in top gear, there’s always something interesting going on. Not only was there new material, but new tour dates to go with them, including their first date in Brisbane (30 April) for eight years at the relatively new venue Triffid. “I think we played here the last time we were here, though this building didn’t exist back then” quipped Richards.
It’s a shame there are moments of feedback through the set, and the lighting renders bassist Edmondo Ammendola near invisible, but the most important thing here is Glenn, who unquestionably delivers.
Click here for photos from the show.
As their multiple numbers took the stage, including a three-piece horn section (“we don’t even pay ‘em”), any doubts of them being up to the job are dispelled by a rousing performance of ‘Definitive History’. “Evening Brisbane. Shit weather,” said Glenn as drops of rain water leaked through the roof into the crowd.
Despite the between-song talk, the gentle tone and pace set the scene for the majority of the set, including a particularly downbeat mid-section the band admit makes more sense in the theatre surroundings of the rest of their tour dates. It takes new album highlight, 'A Dog Starved', to kickstart the set again.
The majority of the set is drawn from the band’s latest album, as the aging audience remained static, responding only to older material and shouting song titles with abandon between songs.
Image © Daniel FosterAs the set progresses they’re rewarded with more familiar titles saved for the encore. The response to ‘One Crowded Hour’ is as expected, an incredible, if straight-forward song that is brought to life on stage.
Though Richards may drop a note on the guitar every now and then, his vocals are spot on, his delivery mesmerising. The entire encore is warmly received as the band respond to the requests they called for before walking off stage.
Though Augie’s best material may be behind them, it’s a great thing to have them back. They’ve had a rough ride along the way, but now completely independent and without the pressure, maybe their best is yet to come.
