Mess Esque & Guests at The Great Club [Dream Pop / Indie Rock / Folk]
Event Page: https://fb.me/e/3dw3wnD62
Date/Time: Tue 2022-05-13 19:00
Venue: The Great Club, Marrickville NSW 2204
It's a great feeling to discover something truly unique and comforting. This was the discovery of both the music from Mess Esque, their support acts, and the Great Club.
It was a mild night and Marrickville was as inviting as ever. Tucked away beyond the main streets and shops was the Great Club. Once a Greek RSL, it lives on as a roomy and intimate live music venue. It's like sharing a very large living room with strangers and musicians.
Starting off the night was Darren Cross (DC) and his utterly mesmerising instrumental, fingerpicking, guitar folk compositions. There was a charm to Darren as he interacted directly with the audience. He was not afraid to call out the audience's bullshit either when we failed to laugh at his fairly decently funny anecdotes and puns (all in good jest). The feeling I got from DC was that he was a well seasoned traveller and adventurer and the exterior deceives us on the beautiful expression that lies within him. My favourite track was Lithgow along with the hilarious story that accompanied it.
Next up was Fabels, a really unique experimental band with bits of dream pop, shoegaze, post rock and psych thrown in. The husband and wife duo brought some really cool energy into their performances. I could feel how passionate they felt for their music, especially as the vocalist continued to reach evermore complicated vocal arrangements. The German lyrics added a sense of mysticism to the whole performance which I was not expecting at all. Apparently, they utilise projections in their performances that further enhance that psychedelic feeling (unfortunately this was not set up for the gig tonight).
Mess Esque's music was the closest to experiencing a floating dreamworld as I've ever gotten. They have a unique way to utilise McKisko's ethereal voice as an additional instrument in their music. It's not so much the imagery of the lyrics but the way the voice is delivered that puts you in that dreamlike state. Overall their entire set was delightful and the audience were utterly captivated.
The band members were amazingly down to earth, reproducing their complex sound without any fuss. Mick Turner is a guitar royalty (previously played for Dirty Three) and to me he came across as this lovely, goofy, playful musician who made the music look so effortless.
My favourite track from them (which they also performed live) remains Jupiter.
Event Photos
Darren Cross (DC)
Fabels
Mess Esque