Midlake @ Corner Hotel, Melbourne (Sat 24 May 2014)
It’s been a while in between drinks for Midlake and I. And I wasn’t expecting to go to this show at all. I got a call from Werner saying he had a spare ticket- who the hell am I to say no to an unexpected gig? The last time I’d seen Midlake was actually with Werner at Splendour In The Grass way back in 2010.
An unexpected catch-up with news from both of us. Turns out, both of our wives are pregnant, and due within a couple of weeks of each other. Boom. Holy shit.
So yeah- Saminator 2.0 is coming. Hold on to your hats folks. I’m guessing I’ll be writing less about gigs and more about sand castles- and that’s ok by me.
Anyway- onto the show.
Like I said, Midlake and I hadn’t seen each other for a few years, and I didn’t actually realise until we were at the gig that the lead singer is a different guy. This isn’t like a new drummer or guitarist- the fucking lead singer is different. How does that work? Seems he was the old guitarist or something, and the old singer left and the guitarist started singing. That happened to a band I was in years ago actually. Funnily enough Werner was in that band too, and he was one of the ‘new’ singers that took over when the old guy packed up and moved to London. The difference here was that no one knew who the hell we were in the first place, and yet we still changed our name.
Anyway. Whatever.
The gig was actually pretty good. For me, Midlake have always had the “we’re alt country so let’s put a shitload of reverb on everything especially the vocals” kind of band. Not unlike Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, or really any plaid shirt wearing band circa 2010. Even, dare I say it, Band of Horses, whom I actually quite like. Even so, the gig was good, and it was fucking sensational to hang with Werner and to share our news with each other.
So for me, I’ll always remember this gig- not neccessarily for the band that played, but for the memory of a lifelong friend and I sharing the news that we’re still on a similar path together, even though so much has changed from when we used to smoke bongs and play music some 20 years ago in shitty-share houses on Brisbane.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
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