“I’m trying to work here,” growled Mark Lanegan.
Two security guards marched through the crowd towards the stage at Brisbane’s The Triffid (17 September). There, two people were arguing loud enough to disturb the American singer. But that deep, gravelly voice silenced the disruption; commanding respect and instilling fear.
Mark has mastered his distinctive voice since debuting it in 1985 with grunge legends Screaming Trees. He’s since carved out a prolific solo career, working with a diverse range of collaborators and genres. During his Brisbane stop at The Triffid (17 September), Mark and his band dug deep into his rich discography.
Opener J.B. Paterson smacked his guitar when it buzzed. “That’s what happens when you buy a cheap guitar,” he quipped to chuckles. “I’m a poor boy.”
He may be poor, but Paterson was rich in songs and charm. Paterson performed solo, playing foot-tapping blues on his cheap guitar and harmonica. He appeared surprised by not only the size of the crowd, but that they were listening at all – he mostly busks. He’ll have to get used to it; with his talent, he’ll be playing bigger stages soon.
Mark Lanegan was joined onstage by guitarist Jeff Fielder and keyboardist Shelley Brien. The stripped-down trio opened with Mark snarling over church organ and bluesy guitar of ‘When Your Number Is Up’.
Jeff struck his guitar to make a loud, distorted drone. A drum machine clicked in the background and Mark hollered ‘Hit The City’. It sounded bare compared to the recorded version, but the crooked gospel moans from Jeff and Shelley made it sound apocalyptic.
That drum machine was prominent on the industrial rave track ‘Nocturne’. Its chugging riffs and laser synths were a complete contrast to the blues rock that came before, but Mark’s voice made it sound as sinister as his traditional blues.
After growling through murder ballads about prowling wolves and drinking sour whiskey, Mark pushed his voice with a sweet rendition of ‘You Only Live Twice’, the James Bond theme sung by Nancy Sinatra. His vocal range was limited, with high notes coming out as a rasp, but what he did with it sounded heavenly, as opposed to his usual demonic croak.
Mark showed his sense of humour when he returned for an encore. The band performed ‘Torn Red Heart’, which features the refrain “You don’t love me”. After the applause he’d received upon returning, I couldn’t help but laugh at his first words being those.
The audience especially loved him after his closing rendition of the Screaming Tree’s song ‘Halo Of Ashes’. Most of that performance was Jeff storming through that psychedelic riff while Mark hid in the shadows and smoke. But when Mark’s growl emerged, it was greeted by wolf whistles from his pack of fans; a sign of respect for this rock icon.
