Live Review: Mount Eerie, Packwood & Matt Banham

Matt Banham's more playful side was on the downlow in the creepy but cool surroundings of the Anglican Church, and he played through a set of his solo tracks and songs from his old band No Through Road with a sense of irony. Closing his set with the No Through Road number The Chelsea Theatre was fitting, especially with lyrics where he explicitly calls Jesus make believe. God, however, must have had a sense of humour on the night and did not smite him – at least not in any visible way.

The music of Packwood was fleshed out with a five-piece classical section, although compared to the fifty-piece orchestra that performs on his recording this should actually be considered stripped back. It filled the small church with the gentle wash of strings while Packwood plinked on his banjo, creating a bizarre contrast of sounds, unexpected timings and intelligent arrangements that made the deliberately off-kilter songs even more interesting.

The biggest point of difference with this show being played out in a church was that the crowd's attention was 100 per cent committed; there was no competition from casual chatter or bar trips. Phil Elvrum aka Mount Eerie seemed to revel in the strange spotlight, and from the opening lines of the first track Through the Trees Part 2 everyone in the church became transfixed and focused. Problems with his guitar amp actually made these delicious crunchy sounds happen, and although he didn't seem too perturbed, when he ditched the amp to go straight through the PA the more colourful, subtle tones of his style became evident. It's with this sound he's able to create the low rumbling undertones that set a subtle soundscape behind his collection of short yet deliberate tracks. Dead Of Night gets a nice buzz of recognition from the crowd, but punters were satisfied with every part of the rare and special performance by such a compelling artist. Wrapping up the set with old favourite I Say “No” from the album Dawn, he then placed his impressive electric 12-string guitar down and exited the stage by walking straight down the aisle – a perfectly weird end to the contradictions of this church of rock experiment.