Live Review: Mark Gardener, Jae Laffer, Sean Pollard

First up on the dimly lit stage was Split Seconds' Sean Pollard, armed with his acoustic six string and with complaints of jet-lag and a mystery illness, he began his well balanced delivery of expressive songs. With the majority of early arrivals sitting comfortably at jazz club-styletables and chairs, Pollard entertained with comfortable acoustic tones and empassioned vocals. The lyrics in a tribute to the late Amy Winehouse early in the set, to which Pollard explained he'd written during her life, captured the essence of Winehouse's inspirational musical prowess as well as pain the of her destructive life style. With imaginative use of a loop pedal to create layered vocal harmonies and guitar riffs added dimension to his set, which set the night off nicely.

By the time The Panic's Jae Laffer was ready to start, the venue had filled up and it was obvious many were here to see him perform as much as the headline act to follow. With years of acclaimed songwriting accreditation up his sleeves, Laffer began a set full of Panics hits, some new songs that could be in the pipeline for release and some interesting covers of the likes of Paul Kelly, Bob Dylan and even Eurhythmics. Joining him on stage was Lucky Ocean, who is famed for his skills on the pedal steel guitar. Laffer's music is nothing short of mind-blowing and his vocals are draped in vintage class, song after song the blend of oozy sliding tones blending with piano melodies or acoustic strums, the sight of these two acclaimed musicians was a testament to the purpose of the Fly By Night Musician's Club.

After a short break, the stage was again near empty but for the amber lighting that softly illuminated Mark Gardener, who stood alone in his Sinatra-styled hat, twelve-string acoustic in hand. By the second song in, Polar Bear off the 1990 album Nowhere, the hall was filled with such rich tones that even with the driving drums and intensity of the full band, the spirit of Ride was there. Gardener was chatty and laid back throughout his performance; “In England when it rained, we wrote songs,” he stated while commenting on how surprised he was to see rain in Australia. As a special treat for Perth, hit songs not normally on his set list were showcased; Chrome Waves one example. Other songs were from his own solo repertoire or collaborations with Robin Guthrie from the Cocktail Twins. The audience were mostly silent yet all eyes were glued on Gardener, and with his charm and at ease style and the ability to capture all the wonder and lushness of Ride's appeal with just twelve strings and occasion a loop pedal, the night came to an end with the second album opener Leave Them All Behind, wonderful stuff!