Father John MistyThere'd been a lot of talk about Josh Tillman, aka Father John Misty's, live show before his stop in Perth. The enigmatic frontman had only really been seen behind the kit for Fleet Foxes, which belied the multitude of work that embodies the last ten years of his career. True to say, it was a pretty worthwhile experience.
Local country-tinged five-piece Ruby Boots had the honour of opening for the headliner, and couldn't say enough about the man. “The best record of 2012”, leading lady Bex Chilcott repeated regarding Tillman's Fear Fun album. Not that there was any need to talk them up too much: Ruby Boots commanded a set all their own. Despite the big stage and venue, Ruby Boots managed to fill it. There was enough love songs to quench the thirst of post-Valentine's couples, but it was down to the enigmatic co-operation of the band and Chilcott's own commanding, steady personality that carried the set. Tennessee was a standout, and Kellie-Anne reminded all that this was a national radio-level band.
As Father John Misty walked on stage, the first thing that came to mind was that this would be no ordinary gig. Those of you who have listened to Tillman's previous work – including the spectacular Singing Ax – would know him for his personal and gentle personality and style. Friday night was a tad different. Strolling out, towering over the stage hirsute and all, Tillman immediately built camaraderie with the audience. Breaking gently into Funtimes In Babylon to start, the band strummed away as Tillman gradually swayed to the beat. There was more than a little Cave/Jagger hybridity to his moves. His obvious passion for the songs was converted into powerful gestures and eye contact, and his obvious charisma shone through on songs like Only Son Of A Ladiesman. After playing through a cyclical set of songs, Tillman bookeneded the set with the words “Welcome to the encore: anything can happen in the encore, all bets are off”, and the band broke into a new track before breaking a cover of On The Road Again into a rollicking blues jam. This reviewer was only left wanting in one respect: if anyone who was there can tell me where to get the pants the bassist was wearing, that would be great.
