Photo: David Harris
Exclusive to Australia, the legendary mother to punk rock music Patti Smith has come to local shores, re-imagined through a concert dedicated to her groundbreaking record, Horses. Featuring Aussie music royalty focused on one muse, Courtney Barnett, Jen Cloher, Magic Dirt’s Adalita and The Drones’ Gareth Liddiard reduced the Melbourne Town Hall to ashes, burning up Melbourne Festival.
Celebrating the 40th year anniversary of the debut record release of Horses, each of the four artists individually channel all the dynamic dimensions the landmark record became famous for. From Smith’s lyrical poetry and pioneering experimental sound, crawling between raw grunge to electrified punk, all of these facets make many regard Horses as one of the greatest rock albums of all time.
Adalita opens the show with electrifying anthem ‘Gloria’, an ideal choice of singer with her full but gritty vocals and self-aware swagger. From the seminal line, ‘Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine,’ the audience is revved up, aware they are in for a night to remember. Adalita does not disappoint; from shredding the stage with ‘Gloria’ to the short burst of energy-filled dance-busting ‘Free Money’, the Magic Dirt singer is made for shows like this.
Cloher seamlessly fits into Smith’s sound, making it an almost doppelganger-like experience watching her, inviting the crowd to do a double take. It’s no surprise that the show was Cloher’s idea, uniting the Aussie favourites, including partner Barnett. She was inspired by a similarly-formed tribute to the Beatles’ White Album at Hamer Hall last year, but this time a big difference was this was a female-driven affair; fitting for Smith’s affinity for gender posturing rock music since the late 1970’s.
Taking on the record’s most prolific track ‘Land’, Cloher is in control, while paying obvious homage to Smith she is no empty vessel and makes the song her own, simultaneously staying true to Smith’s style and nostalgic vibe.
Barnett as the biggest contemporary name within the mix seemed the most out of step, not in a way that her performance was any less riveting but her approach was more laid-back and this functioned mostly in her favour. Her gravelly tone and squirmy demeanor was paired perfectly for ‘Redondo Beach’, revealing a seductive side. She stepped up the energy and anger for ‘Break It Up’ – a yell-fest of regret and rage that was as exhilarating as it was emotive.
Matching Barnett in pure unabashed passion was Liddiard, the one and only artist of the night that has​ had the honour of sharing the stage with Smith back in 2008 at the Sydney Opera House. His rendition of ‘Birdland’ was a sky high point of the night, with the crowd mesmerized by his overwhelming angst and ownership of a daunting surrealist track featuring Smith’s trademark poetic lyrics and philosophic artistry.
A long overdue but short tribute, the album in its entirety track by track is a modest nine song setlist, leaving the audience wanting more. Signing off with a messy and manic ‘My Generation’, as the night progresses the four and backing band become more animated and unedited – driven by Barnett for the most part – and by closing curtain the set turns towards chaos.
An impressive but imperfect dedication; the only way Smith would have had it.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Patti Smith’s Horses
Featuring Courtney Barnett, Jen Cloher, Adalita and Gareth Liddiard
Melbourne Town Hall
18 October 2015
Melbourne Festival
www.festival.melbourne
8-25 October 2015
