There’s a reason churches have live music. The feeling of having people perform in front of you is akin to experiencing something religious; realising that this world is filled with talent and it’s sincerely a privilege to hear some of your favourite artists live.
Black Country, New Road had their first show in Perth, thanks to Perth Festival at the East Perth Power Station. Playing their last album since frontman Isaac Wood’s departure, Forever Howlong takes centre stage with Lewis Evans (saxophonist), May Kershaw (keys), Charlie Wayne (drums), Luke Mark (guitar), Tyler Hyde (bass) and Georgia Ellery (violin).
Starting at 8:50pm, there’s a crowd that waits eagerly against the barricades; it seems to be mostly younger people, excited for BCNR’s experimental rock sound. There’s a level of authenticity that accompanies the band as they head onto the stage. No overt costumes, waving to the audience, and a Palestinian flag draped across the keys. It’s clear that this is a band that isn’t there for the dream of fame, but rather a group of artists excited to share their love to the world (or, to the people of Perth).
The strobe lighting is timed with their music, and it’s obvious to see that everyone in attendance appreciates the raw sound of strings and brass. Looking around, it looked like there was a small percentage of people recording the concert from the phone, but rather taking in the music. The stage utilises the spotlights to show the three singers who have taken lead: Kershaw, Hyde, and Ellery. There’s a balance to who sings, showing a united front.
They performed an unreleased song and a Big Star cover which were lovely, yet the sweetest moment of the concert was their performance of their titular song Forever Howlong. We watched as each band member took out a recorder and tuned it to the keys, and Kershaw began singing. An acoustic set with only an accordion, recorders, keys, and vocals; it’s a beautiful song that genuinely felt ethereal to witness live. Mostly though, there was a moment where they all broke out into laughter. A lesser person would say it ruined the performance, I say that it made it all that much more believable that a group of friends are doing this for passion and love of art.
Black Country, New Road are continuing to tour around Australia with shows in Hobart, St Kilda, and Brisbane.
Upcoming Tour Dates
You can buy tickets on the Black Country, New Road website.
Feb 26 – St Kilda, Australia
Feb 28 – Brisbane, Australia
Mar 3 – Auckland, New Zealand
Mar 4 – Wellington, New Zealand
Mar 28 – London, United Kingdom
Apr 14 – Helsinki, Finland
Apr 15 – Tallinn, Estonia
Apr 16 – Riga, Latvia
Apr 18 – Vilnius, Lithuania
Apr 20 – Beşiktaş, Turkey
Apr 22 – Sofia, Bulgaria
Apr 23 – Bucharest, Romania (Sold Out)
Apr 25 – Athens, Greece
Jun 8 – Madrid, Spain
Jun 9 – Santander, Spain
Jun 10 – A Coruña, Spain
Jun 11 – Porto, Portugal (Primavera Sound)
Jun 16 – Montreal, Canada
Jun 17 – Toronto, Canada
Jun 21 – New Windsor, NY, USA
Jun 23 – Philadelphia, PA, USA
Jun 26 – Lakewood, OH, USA
Jun 27 – Madison, WI, USA
Jun 28 – Milwaukee, WI, USA
Jun 30 – Kalamazoo, MI, USA
Jul 1 – McKees Rocks, PA, USA
Jul 2 – Richmond, VA, USA
Jul 3 – Baltimore, MD, USA
Jul 5 – Asbury Park, NJ, USA
Jul 6 – Portland, ME, USA
Jul 7 – Boston, MA, USA
Jul 19 – Hatfield, United Kingdom
Jul 22 – London, United Kingdom
Aug 4 – Antwerp, Belgium
Aug 5 – Nijmegen, Netherlands
Aug 6 – Rees, Germany
Aug 11 – Ljubljana, Slovenia
Disclosure: Alyssa was provided press tickets for this event.