Thursday 11 October 2012

Husky – Club Ziggo 24 September 2012

Yes it’s a Husky but by no stretch of the imagination is it a dog.


Four non assuming lads from Melbourne sauntered on stage at Club Ziggo to start their live performance, after a few out takes and retakes for the recording TV cameras, the introduction to the band was complete and the show could get under way. A beautiful show that felt like it came from nowhere, but maybe that just because I don’t live in Australia anymore.

 I am sure that the band have gone from strength to strength back home, from winning one of the Triple J Unearthed competitions, to a long list of sell out shows. They’ve now been signed by Sup Pop records (in the US at least) and they are starting to get more notoriety across the globe. They have even gone on to support some pretty decent acts, like Goyte, Noah and the Whale and The Shins, which can’t have hurt them at all.



So when I got a chance to see them I was keen to grab it with both hands. Unfortunately getting to Club Ziggo, is not the easiest of venues that I frequent in Amsterdam. The trials and tribulations on a wet and stormy night only exacerbate the pain and there was more than one occasion in my trip to the venue when I wondered if the show would be really worth it. I mean who wouldn’t after enduring 1 hour riding in the rain before drying off and catching a bus, this was followed by watching four metros come and go before working out the last #54 (the one I wanted) had already left, and then finally boarding a train towards the venue only to walk in the rain fighting with a cheap umbrella swearing out aloud, like a man with turrets or just your average Amsterdam crazy in the street.

All this angst and stress would be washed away with a cold beer and a Tidal Wave, well at least in the form the opening track from Husky. And it was from the opening track the evening standard was set. Now I would love to list the tracks they played but that would imply that I am an existing fan, and that I was not. But it is safe to say they played all of their hits and for all the “real” fans there, they would have been very happy with the evenings selection.



The light folky style that the boys produce is extremely peaceful and I find it very enjoyable, it made me feel like time was standing still and before I knew it, the music had stopped, the band were heading backstage and the cameras were switched off. Even though, on this night their set probably only went for about 45 minutes it was every bit enough to convince me to have a further listen to them and hopefully see them again in Europe sometime soon and maybe on a night when it’s not raining.



By the time James and I had dissected the evening’s entertainment, and I briefly chatted with the band it was time to brave the elements once more. I walked out into the evening, a beautiful calm still evening. Husky had not only managed to change my mood but also the weather conditions as well. These guys are good. Very good. So I may have braved the elements to support an Aussie band, but the reality is that they were really good, it didn’t matter where they were from.

JV





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