Live Review: Kele Okereke, Obscura Hail

A shadowy disciple of artists such as Red House Painters and The Cure, Obscura Hail is the gothic folk project of producer and multi-instrumentalist Sean Conran.

Playing a set of finger-picked dirges that explore metaphysical and existential themes, it's clear from the careful harmonies and tragic lyrics that Obscura Hail are here to move us rather than groove us. While the group certainly plays some dreamy, gloom pop numbers like Sin, it's unnerving songs like Killstreak that best suggest where this project is currently heading. Fans of tight black dress shirts and Vampire-themed roleplaying games should put down the eyeliner and inquire within immediately.

Though best known for his frontman role in England's very danceable indie rock band, Bloc Party, Kele Okereke is here tonight at Spotted Mallard armed with little more than a charmingly funny stage presence and his acoustic guitar. After releasing two solo albums of critically divisive electronic experiments under his first name only, 2017's Fatherland saw the artist making a sharp left turn into the unexpected realm of acoustic soul music. The results on record are a mostly mixed bag. But blessed with a warm, English baritone, Okereke's hushed melodies are clearly the centrepiece of his gentle new musical direction.

Thankfully that voice sounds just as lovely here in Brunswick's Spotted Mallard as it does in your earbuds at home. Okereke's biggest hit from the album, Streets Been Talkin', vaguely recalls a talky version of The White Stripes' We're Going To Be Friends, a song which has become a quiet favourite among the growing league of indie rockers gone soft. Songs like Yemaya and Grounds For Resentment contain melodies worthy of sneaking into your brain's daily hum repertoire. Tuning his guitar a whole step down, Okereke graces the crowd with covers of Elliott Smith's Between The Bars and Fleetwood Mac's Landslide. Two absolute staples of the acoustic guitarist's diet, but still lovely nonetheless.

While Bloc Party have broken up, subsequently reunited and then taken a break more times than a sitcom couple, it's evident from tonight's performance that Okereke isn't just twiddling his thumbs until the release of another album. Responding to an audience member's plea for him to take his shirt off, Okereke cheekily quips, "You'll have to throw money on stage for that." The crowd roars with laughter until Okereke adds, "And I mean notes, not coins."