Live Review: Death Cab For Cutie, Say Hi

The look of confusion across the room with Eric Elbogen (aka Say Hi) is almost as entertaining as the performance itself. Between a mid-set crowd Q&A and a sampling of ‘dad jokes’, Say Hi is most certainly an acquired taste, but you can literally watch the timeline peel away on people’s faces as tracks roll on, from ‘What the shit?’ to ‘Fuck it, let’s dance’. Even as Elbogen toys with his own obscurity to the crowd, the awkwardness fades heavily with Blah Blah Blah, When I Think About You and Devils, the gawky come exuberant form of one man indie-dance grabs the upper hand and warms the floor up.

From previous Death Cab For Cutie tours, you’d be within reason to presume a laid back show that’s acoustic heavy; far from that now, a pulsing light show and aggressive stage energy, the Sub-Pop trio begin a cavalcade of gleaming indie soaked in passion. Running through No Room In Frame, Crooked Teeth, Why You’d Want To Live Here and Black Sun in quick succession, the crowd is a sea of arms in the air screaming lyrics. Frontman Ben Gibbard has a steely focus on the performance with frequent dashes back and forth, after thrashing out a bridge or chorus intro on the guitar.

Distant from the reserved nature of the band's theatre shows, and potentially due to the recent departure of members, each track has a breath of life in it from the rejuvenated energy, and the stage presence of guitarist Dave Depper and keyboardist Zac Rae is a positive addition. Taking from most of their releases, the setlist is rich with crowd favourites. From the sharp drop into The New Year to the flickering piano on Codes And Keys, it seems everybody gets their song in one show. Invariably, it’s hard to detract from the special moment created by a solo acoustic Gibbard leading the crowd through a choral performance of I Will Follow You Into The Dark, but as the thick rumbling bassline of I Will Possess Your Heart rattles ribcages across the venue and the band stand in a now sweaty mess, it certainly stands alongside. With the set winding down with a slow piano trickle in Transatlanticism, it’s the end to another successful Australian excursion from the Washington group that only strengthens our shore's love for their music.