As a sideshow for touring festival Daydream (eastern states), headliners Modest Mouse's first visit to Adelaide is a welcome one and with fellow Daydreamers Beach Fossils in tow, it seems a consolation.
Unfortunately, the support set of dream pop (for want of a better description) by New Yorkers Beach Fossils did not display a significant musical individuality to rise above their indie pop peers. They were well received and the presence of fans in the audience enjoying their set was apparent.As the lights dimmed for the impending appearance of Modest Mouse, the initial audience howls and cheers fade and are overcome by what sounds like a musique concrete recording that slowly introduces barking dogs then chickens and then a selection of other farmyard animals. It would not have been entirely unexpected for the set to start with an excerpt from 'Old MacDonald Had A Farm'.
The choice of songs for their first time in Adelaide is a fair selection from most of their albums (although with the notable absence of anything from 2015's 'Strangers To Ourselves').
Opener 'Dark Centre Of The Universe' introduces the band's big sound with crunchy guitars from Simon O'Connor and bandleader Isaac Brock, while bass player Russell Higbee channels Can's Holger Czukay, hunched over his instrument, easily looking like he would fit in as a member of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Isaac alternately howls and barks out words seemingly possessed and speaking in tongues, his vocal delivery apparently influenced by an interest in hip hop in his formative years.
That Modest Mouse are not tied to one style is evidenced by the songs that follow, an example being the upbeat immediacy and catchy riffing of 'Dashboard', a song from the era when they were joined by The Smiths' Johnny Marr.
Isaac's infrequent between-song banter is seemingly disconnected from their performances. He announces he loves being boring before telling a story of having earlier had his phone stolen before finding it again and "killing" the culprits, but then recanting that revelation before continuing the set with 'Ocean Breathes Salty' and the kraut-rock meets pop mash-up of 'F... Your Acid Trip'.
The uplifting, rhythmic 'Fire It Up' is prefaced with cheers of recognition, while 'Perfect Disguise' is a mellow interlude before the contrasting quiet-loud-quiet explosive dynamism of 'Back To The Middle'.
There is a slight band member rearrangement that sees Russell switch from bass to additional guitar and he latterly plays melodica and Isaac plays banjo for the Appalachian folk rock of 'Bukowski'.
The band continues in this Appalachian-folk style for 'King Rat', Isaac repeatedly howling "Well!" before Russell's contribution on trumpet sees the band stepping into the realm of marching band jazz.
As the song winds down, Isaac pauses momentarily, bathed in a demonic red glow and commences an a cappella outro, afterwards revealing this to be from a song by Love As Laughter's the late Sam Jayne.
Following this, he comments positively that he now knows more new people (meaning those that have been born) than those he has known who have died, not explicitly referencing Jayne's death (and perhaps that of founding member drummer Jeremiah Green who passed away at the end of last year).
It is appropriate then that the next song is 'Lace Your Shoes', a somewhat autobiographical introspective tale of fatherhood, during which Isaac employs a more traditional singing style.
For the 'hit' 'Float On' there is the expected audience sing-along, although unlike other bands the opportunity is not taken to give over the vocals entirely to the audience.
'Night On The Sun' sees Isaac performing musical theatrics, completing the song by lifting his guitar aloft and singing into the pick ups. 'Spitting Venom' starts as a punk-rock waltz and by the end has become an epic set closer with Russell on trumpet and a suitably dynamic light show accompaniment.
As the band leaves the stage, Isaac stays behind pointing out to individuals in the audience and repeatedly telling them "I appreciate your time", before he too leaves and there is a drawn-out period during which the audience is in darkness before the encore.
The extended percussive workout of 'Trucker's Atlas' takes up half of the encore before the conservative 'Gravity Rides Everything' and then the brief explosive sonic assault of 'Sh.t Luck' brings the evening to a close; a fine set rounded off appropriately by these early career songs given that it has been over 25 years since the release of their benchmark album 'The Lonesome Crowded West'.
