Live Review: Neutral Milk Hotel, M Ward, Superchunk

While this explanation may not be applicable for everyone, if you're someone with a dorky father or uncle, just take a moment to picture a band formed entirely of said dorky male relative and three of his clones. This sums up Superchunk's stage presence (at their first Sydney show in 17 years), and though it sounds slightly tragic, it was anything but. It took a while, but following sporadic bouts of enthusiasm, Superchunk went fully gung-ho – the outfit put an easy 110% into their performing, with the inclusions of one awesome windmill from guitarist Jim Wilbur and an innumerable number of kicks and jumps. Their endearing over-enthusiasm translated right through their dynamic setlist, with each song sounding just as good – if not, better – than the recorded material. Clearly a band best enjoyed in the flesh – a truth that made their return just that little bit sweeter.

M Ward didn't have it easy from the start, what with being sandwiched between two acts who've been keeping quiet for more than a decade, each of whom – in their own right – are considered as among some of the most influential by many. With a repertoire such as his, however, he could have very easily owned this slot and used it to his advantage; it's just unfortunate that this isn't quite what he did. Enjoyable enough, his brand of alt-country wasn't nearly as bold as his predecessors and successors. As the set wore on, the crowd became less and less interested and their conversations began to overpower the set.

The initial shock of the first utterance of Neutral Milk Hotel's return was one thing, but to finally see the outfit – the obscure collection of facial hair-yielding men displaying a miniature time-line of fashions – was something else. Disbelief morphed into wide-eyed adoration as they followed King Of Carrot Flowers with counterpart King Of Carrot Flowers, Pts 2 And 3. The adoration was certainly not unwarranted in the least – as frontman Jeff Mangum wailed with such intensity (presented with an oxymoronic demonstration of nonchalant ease), a good portion of the audience was reduced to a state of near-tears; no sound has ever been quite so powerful, raw and beautiful. For many, this performance was exactly what they'd been waiting for, and it was sure worth the wait.