Live Review: Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Dan Kelly's Dream Band

Dan Kelly’s Dream Band’s opener and not-quite-theme-song, Dan Kelly’s Dream impressed, with listless drums working their way around a deep bass groove, topped off by Kelly’s clearly Malkmus-inspired speak-sung vocals.

The song’s expressive dynamics gave evolving structure to its droning 5/4 beat pattern. Creme De La Creme De La Creme, a tune written about a guitar tech’s unrequited love for Sarah McLeod from The Superjesus, showed off more song-crafting skill, with hints of Custard’s lackadaisical looseness and perhaps Ball Park Music’s tender melodies. The cleverly-spun set and pleasant stage presence made DKDB the perfect opening act for the American indie-rock stalwarts the crowd had come to see.

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks were right to do two smallish Sydney shows instead of one larger one, as the intimate Danceteria at Goodgod let the super-fans get up close and personal with a band who really reward the attention. Songs like Tigers and the fan-requested Share The Red showed off the band’s versatility, as well as their ability to effortlessly play off one another. Aside from some minor line-up changes, the Jicks have been playing together for longer than Malkmus’ previous band Pavement, and the chemistry they’ve built together over the years makes them a terrific live act.

Despite being a band full of extremely gifted players, the focus of the show wasn’t on virtuosity but personality. From older tracks like 2001’s Jenny And The Ess-Dog to brand new ones like Pick Up The Spare, Malkmus can’t help but write original, honest songs, and that creativity, reflected in the energy of the band, was the real star of the show. Drummer Jake Morris and guitarist/keyboards player Mike Clark switched places for a rowdy new song late in the set that saw Malkmus amusingly exploring the heights of his falsetto before bursting into a catchy “na-na-na” hook. The set gradually built up steam, culminating in a final couplet of Lariat and Houston Hades, and while neither song is particularly hard-hitting on record, the excitement in the room, coupled with Malkmus’ nifty guitar work and Morris’ controlled, powerful drumming, gave them show-stopping power.