Supergroup is a term that is too often bandied about.
While The Hard Quartet don't mind being referred to that way, this band is the sum of its parts, a band best viewed without the hyperbole and by just standing back and enjoying the flow.As far back as 2019, while working on a Stephen Malkmus album, Matt Sweeney had proposed forming a band with Emmett Kelly and Jim White, and when they could eventually get it together The Hard Quartet were formed.
While Sweeney has been known more for his session work in recent years after several prior musical collaborations, and both White and Kelly are no strangers to multiple concurrent projects, Malkmus was the wildcard to some extent having been known as solo artist and for the reformed Pavement in recent years. The band would like to think there is no one single frontman, but given Malkmus's profile, his presence does loom large.
Adelaide's Twine (almost a supergroup in their own right with violinist Thea Martin being in several other high profile bands on the local scene along with guitarist Matt Schultz) play a well-received support slot, making their mark on much of the audience who are seeing them for the first time.
Frontman Tom Katsaras intense physicality and yearnful wail over a feedback filled, distorted country style of music endears them not only to the paying punters but to the headliners as well with Sweeney later in the main set thanking them and commenting, "that was incredible," with Malkmus adding, "really epic".
When The Hard Quartet arrive onstage (The Gov, 23 January), Malkmus comments on the Tour Down Under currently taking over Adelaide. "Anybody go to the cycle race today? Ugh! Men in tights."
Although they are playing their whole album, it is an out of sequence performance and not wanting to appear spent too early, the band start with a song from the middle of the album, 'Heel Highway' which represents them and introduces them more casually. Perhaps in an effort to show that there is no one leader of the band, no one is positioned centre-stage.
From here on in there are only minor deviations from the album track order and practically every song there is an exchange of positions onstage and vocal and bass duties (incidentally the shared bass has 'Iggy Pop' scratched into it).
Although Malkmus may do slightly heavier lifting on vocals (due to the lengths of his songs), Sweeney does take on the role of defacto MC introducing band members at moments throughout the evening. On bass for 'Rio's Song', Kelly and White on drums in the role of the band engine room smile at each other.
Before 'Our Hometown Boy', as Malkmus is handed his guitar he simulates machine gunning the audience. Later, before 'Renegade' he asks for a different guitar pick: "That's a Creedence pick. That's too manly for me," while Sweeney screeches an impersonation of John Fogarty. It is obvious these guys are having fun, four middle-aged guys playing out their rock & roll dreams although this isn't a later life resurgence, it's a continuation of each of their own individual careers.
The brief musical assault of 'Renegade' is their heaviest song yet and sounds like The Stooges jamming 'Apache'. 'Earth Hater' has a familiarity to it in that it wouldn't sound out of place on a Pavement album.
Sweeney's 'Killed By Death' cribs lyrics from Blue Oyster Cult and is just about as laidback as the band gets and is followed suitably by Malkmus's 'Hey', which peters to a gradual close. For 'It Suits You' the band takes another tack altogether with Jim's drums the bedrock providing the pounding build of 'It Suits You', Malkmus commenting afterwards: "There's some dark magic right there."
There's another turn taken when Malkmus's abstract first-person narrative on 'Six Deaf Rats' gives way to seemingly improvised instrumental passages with the rest of the band following his lead.
'Action For Military Boys' is like two songs in one with the opening squealing bar room blues transforming into a late punk-styled chant. 'Jacked Existence' is almost a lullaby compared to the last couple of songs that came before it.
'North Of The Border' is something special and the band knows it, Malkmus commenting, "this song is scorched," to which Emmett adds: "We're the Scorched Unit." Sung by Emmett, it is a loose folk ballad gone electric with Sweeney leaning into Malkmus's unused microphone and giving a measured vocal with an occasional near falsetto.
As the evening comes to a near close following their performance of 'Thug Dynasty' enhanced with the flourish of backing doo-wop vocals, Malkmus comments about there being no encore but the drawn-out audience applause makes it one without the band having to leave the stage.
The song that opens their album 'Chrome Mess' is as appropriate as any to be their send off. The driving rock & roll and Sonic Youth intensity of this, their first and their last song is something that will stay with us long after the band have left the stage.
