Mountain Goats Review

The Mountain Goats

The Zoo
Brisbane

For a Tuesday night, the Zoo is comfortably packed. It’s a mixed bag of young and old, embarrassing haircuts and the worst fashion display I’ve seen in some time. People relate to the Mountain Goats, they feel comfortable and safe and happily form part of the Mountain Goats choir.


First up Texas Tea perform as a duo. She sits, plays guitar and hits the tambourine with her foot. He also sits, strums his guitar and hits the bass drum with his foot. It’s a novelty more than anything. Texas Tea performs slow country songs. They open with a Kris Kristofferson cover before moving into their self penned set, all the while sounding like Kasey Chambers. It’s ok for the first couple of songs but the whole set plods along never really moving out of first gear. I know, I know, that’s what they do!


“Hi, we’re the Mountain Goats”! From that moment they held us in the palm of their hands. The Mountain Goats started their set early tonight. They had two encores up their sleeves and they used them both. They’ve done this before it would seem.


No drummer, just two lone figures onstage, four chords on an acoustic guitar, a bass guitar that at times delivered piano melody and lyrics that cut you to the bone.


Singer John Darnielle has eyes that pinch close together. He discards his glasses early but is clearly blind as a bat. But what he cannot see he no doubt feels as a warm energy crackles through the room. Brisbane loves the Mountain Goats.


John Darnielle’s songs draw on deep-seated emotions and experiences; he delivers impassioned songs rich in narrative displaying keen wit and observation to an audience that hangs on his every word.


The band played old and new. The two unassuming indie heavyweights reacquainted themselves onstage with an old song buried deep in their memory, a request. It took a few minutes to remember the second chord but they fired it up for a dedicated fan.


The Sunset Tree album was prominent in a set that also included tracks from their Australian only Tour EP ‘Babylon Springs’. ‘Broom People’ was abruptly brought to a halt before it really began as technicians worked to restore the lost lead vocal mic from the mix. No tantrums though, just good humour.


Dance Music got an early airing tonight whilst crowd favourite ‘This Year’ rounded out the set, driven home by the Zoo choir.


It’s refreshing to see a duo deliver where many bands cannot. The Mountain Goats share a genuine repour with their fans and treat them to a passionate display of insightful song in its purest form.

The Mountain Goats plan to return to our shores by January next year. You should go.