While it wasn’t quite the same as being shouted a free beer – it was the next, best thing when Portugal. The Man played The Jubilee Hotel on Saturday night, 8th November.
Touring Australia with the support of Corona Extra, the American indie/ psychedelic rockers are playing a stack of shows up and down the east coast, and on Saturday there were plenty of punters on hand to soak up the free, live music.
Once the band hit the ‘stage’ of the Jube (more like raised platform, which made it nearly impossible to see the action) they launched into playing selections from their impressive seven-album strong back catalogue.
A poor sound mix early in the set was dealt with admiringly quickly and tracks from their latest release (the Danger Mouse produced ‘Evil Friends’) were heavily featured through the night. All the songs were well received, perhaps signalling a turning point for their fame.
Portugal. The Man Image © Stephen SloggettMore often a band whose songs sound familiar, it seems these new songs are really resonating with audiences. Title track ‘Evil Friends’, lead single ‘Purple Yellow Red And Blue’ and stand-out offering ‘Atomic Man’ had the energy up, while ‘So American’ from the ‘In The Mountain In The Cloud’ release was one of the few tracks that wasn’t from their latest album.
The band also did their rendition of Oasis sing-along favourite, ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’. They must have been sent the unwritten rule of Australian pubs, which states you must include at least one cover from the Britpop band.
Speaking about ‘Evil Friends’ the Portland-via-Alaska group have admitted their latest album was influenced by Pink Floyd, so it was fitting they dropped in a mini-tribute, covering a section of ‘Another Brick In The Wall – Part 2’.
Portugal. The Man Image © Stephen SloggettWith plenty of time on the road for the Corona Extra series, it seems the band have honed their performance to a polished finished, so much so there was little time for any audience interaction. That didn’t seem to bother the crowd however, who were cheeky enough to demand an encore despite it being a free show. The band were more than happy to oblige.
