LIVE: JORDIE LANE

Our writer Miranda Freeman checks out Melbourne artist Jordie Lane during his Blood Thinner Adelaide stopover.

Jordie Lane, Mike Noga and Darling Street

 The Wheatsheaf, Thur 18 Aug

If his gig at the Wheaty is anything to go by, soon growing folk singer Jordie Lane will outshine his famous comedienne mother Denise Scott. I'll say right now that Blood Thinner is a record that immediately had an effect on me, but there's a certain sprinkling of magic put into it when played live that I didn't expect. Needless to say Jordie Lane's showcase with Mike Noga was an intimate live show that profoundly touched the entire audience. One of those smaller shows you'll always remember.

So we'll start from the beginning. Kicking off the night was local trio Darling Street. Look, I'm sorry to say this band need adjustment. Firstly the dynamic of the three members doesn't seem cohesive, especially not helped when one of the vocalists chirps on about "I like Adelaide, but I like Melbourne better so I'm moving there, cya," onstage.

Well, a tip for next time: don't tell the audience that you don't want to be there or you'll piss them off. While the male guitarist seemed to have quite the fingerwork talent on guitar and the vocal harmonies between the girls were good, the folk impression of Jack & Jill Went Up The Hill with the word "fuck it" thrown in to rhyme with bucket lost me a bit.  I don't think curse words thrown into a nursery rhymes is a selling point.

Next up was the solo acoustic set from the man usually recognised as the drummer for The Drones - Mike Noga, a true talent when it comes to music. "I play guitar like a drummer, I just crash and bash it," Noga joked jovially while spinning out some jangly, steely tunes. While Noga's vocal style was notably similar to the main man of his other musical project, The Drones frontman Gareth Liddiard, there was an extra bit of grit thrown in to make the set his own. A real whisky-stained voice that rattled the tin roof of The Wheaty band room.

It was during songs like Cold Year that we were particuarly impressed, Noga juggling voice, guitar strums and stompbox all at the one time. Keeping us entertained with his sarcastic commentary: "This song is called Piss On A Butterfly. Don't piss on a butterfly, it's cruel. It's a metapor you see, because I'm a poet", the set proved the man to be a multi talented instrumentalist and lyricist.

Next up was the man of the moment, Jordie Lane. Opening with the banjo jangles of Diamond Ring, Lane and his band's set was a golden, sundrenched detour into his overseas travels in the States, trying to get lunch and walking into an AA meeting and homages to the women in his life. A journey played out through his beautiful latest album Blood Thiiner.

While the rest of his band were quite animated there was something about Jordie's concentration - still and staring out into the stage lights while his fingers plucked and strummed like machinery - that captivated your glance. When he would stop playing and joke around about the shit sound engineering in Warnambool it was like the bubble of his stage presence would temporarily pop, that is until he'd start to play again. You could feel the anticipation in the air for the next song to lurch into life while the band segued their way through the tracks, as if none of us wanted the symphony of banjo, acoustic guitar, bass, percussion and voice to end.

Particular highlights in the set included Blood Thinner singles like Hollywood's Got A Hold On Me and I Sinned Today, with the set wrapping up, much to the delight of the women at the table next to us, with Jordie's heartfelt solo ballad I Could Die Looking At You. Well Jordie, after that gig we could all die listening to you! Please come again, wontcha?

Words: Miranda Freeman

Photos: Benon Koesbsch

Check out all the photos from Jordie Lane in our photo galleries here. Jordie Lane will be returning to Adelaide with Jeff Lang on Fri Oct 7 at Jive Bar, more info here.

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