Review: The The at Fremantle Arts Centre
The The at Fremantle Arts Centre
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Returning to Perth for the first time in over three decades, post-punk act The The delighted a sold-out crowd under the stars in the grounds of the Fremantle Arts Centre. On tour to support their latest release, Ensoulment, the group performed two sets, firstly showcasing Ensoulment in its entirety before launching into a retrospective set that melded deep cuts with fan favourites.
Having taken in the UK, Europe and America so far, Australia is the last stop on the group’s Ensoulemnt World Tour that, after an inactive previous two decades, is as much an announcement of the group’s continued work as it is a celebration of their legacy. And unlike other acts who would be happy to regale fans with their past work, it felt quite fitting for the always inventive group to bestow equal weighting to their latest work as to their past discography.
In the same breath, however, it must be noted that the group’s home has always been the studio. With the act starting out as a solo project for Johnson, studio experimentalism was a driving force in the band’s appeal and the bedrock of their unique sound. Behind the recording desk, Johnson would invite collaborators on board over the years as and when desired so as to fulfil the group’s unique sonic vision, allowing for a dynamic cycling through of rock genres that were meshed with electronic beats and pop sensibilities across the band’s discography. With the live aspect always a definite afterthought for the band’s output, it was always going to be a tall order for the group to match their recorded output on the road.
Launching with Ensoulment opener, Cognitive Dissident, the band evoked the off-kilter sentiment of the record by merging eerie guitar tones and feedback with the brooding bass and deep baritone of Johnson’s vocals. From here, however, things were often less punchy, with the laid-back, jazz-tinged dirges of the record making it difficult to separate one track from the other and were not suited to the outdoor live setting.
In contrast, the simpler rhythm of Where Do We Go When We Die excelled on stage, with its strong chorus ringing out truly, while elsewhere the atmospheric, experimental-pop tracks stood out the best, such as the spoken word Down By The Frozen River and the gloriously off-kilter threatening post-punk track Lineolum Smooth to The Stockinged Foot.
After a short fifteen-minute break, the band regathered to launch into a set of their more familiar numbers. Commencing with Infected, the sound of the recorded beats and the live drums sadly failed to mesh live as they do on their recorded counterpart, and the track failed to ignite the crowd.
The more upbeat Armageddon Days and Sinking Feeling fared far better, with the former’s upbeat rockabilly getting the crowd swaying along, while This is The Day from 1983’s Soul Mining was a definite standout.
Returning for a two-song encore, Johnson thanked the crowd before diving into the pulsating Uncertain Smile and then leading the band into the nine-minute epic GIANT. The electro-bass and drums were once again at sonic odds with the live instrumentation, and many of the intricacies that make the album track shine were lost in the open night sky.
Always interesting and forever intriguing, The The ultimately put on a fine performance that nobody could possibly be unhappy with but certainly would have benefited from being housed indoors.
MICHAEL HOLLICK
Photos by Linda Dunjey
