Words: Tracey Moyle // Music Maven Events
Photos : Paul Blackburn // @wysiwygpix – CHECK OUT THE FULL GALLERY HERE
This weekend saw Brisbane music fans celebrating a milestone with one of the countries most adored alt rock bands. Eskimo Joe brought their ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’ 20th Anniversary Tour to The Triffid Brisbane for two sold out nights.
The early 2000s were a pinnacle era for Australian music with Eskimo Joe sitting amongst the countries most influential bands. With the release of the lead single from their third album, ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine,’ in June 2006, the title track took the band to the top 10, embedding them into emotional timelines of music lovers across the country.
‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’, both the album and single, rang out across festivals around the country, from Homebake 2006 to the ARIAs that same year, quickly cementing itself as an anthem of that generation.
It’s hard to believe that two decades have flown by, but Friday night, The Triffid saw the first of two sold out nights, with Kav Temperley, Stuart MacLeod and Joel Quartermain celebrating two decades of this iconic Australian album.
Hours before the band were due to play and the Newstead venue had filled up with eager music fans long before main doors even opened. The Triffid Beer Garden was full, with the food van running hot with orders for burgers and chips. Tonight was a solid testament to the enduring affections Aussie fans have for our homegrown heroes.
High spirits were abound but as soon as 8pm hit and doors to the hanger opened, the room filled quickly despite another hour wait before revered local artist Alex Lloyd was due to open.
After passing time with drinks and banter the crowd caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure sneaking onto the stage. No fooling this crowd as the cheers started and the lights beamed down on Lloyd, standing with his acoustic guitar in hand and a shy smirk on his face.
This is typical Alex Lloyd: appearing without fanfare, ready to share his heartfelt music and tell a few tales. His reflective songwriting has produced songs that have spoken directly to the hearts of fans from the release of his 1999 debut album ‘Black The Sun’ through to today.
Painting an ethereal figure with the lights beaming down from above, Alex opened the show with Everybody’s Laughing. Within minutes you could feel the connection between the heart and soul of Lloyd’s emotionally driven songs and everyone in that room. From Easy Exit Station to Lucky Star – from Beautiful to the emotional depth of his moving cover of Hallelujah, Lloyd reached out to everyone in the room with his heartfelt vulnerability. His a cappella moments had fans holding their breath and his banter had the crowd laughing along with someone who seemed like an old friend.
Finishing the night off with the song once dubbed ‘one of the Aussie anthems of the last 25 years’, fans joined in singing his iconic hit, Amazing. He also casually entertained us all with a brief version of Amazing ‘as if it was sung by Bob Dylan’. He was good. Ever the entertainer. Not many musicians can move an audience like Lloyd. It was a big heartfelt opener for a night full of musical nostalgia.
The crowd were ready to go when Eskimo Joe finally arrived at 10pm. They bound onto the stage full of energy and love for the music they were about to pour out across the packed room. Frontman Kav Temperley has a brilliant knack for connecting with fans with his banter and storytelling. He introduced us all to the celebration of two decades of ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’ and took us down memory lane with the live version of the very album our cd players were banging out from 2006 and beyond. Working through the tracks in order, the familiar opening keys of Comfort You took the crowd into that nostalgic place, of hitting ‘play’ on your stereo all those years ago. In a perfect flow, New York followed as The Triffid sung along.
When the band moved into the star of the night, Black Fingernails, Red Wine, the celebration was just as alive on stage as it was on the floor. The genuine look of happiness on the faces of these three musicians was pure gold. Everyone in that room understood the moment they were celebrating. This song captured a moment in time on our musical life journey. This song was a huge turning point for Eskimo Joe, pushing them into mainstream culture at the time. An ARIA Single of the Year, Triple J Hottest 100 number 2 for 2006. The song wasn’t a love song, it was dark. It shifted alt rock in Australia to new levels.
The album continued to come to life. Kav gave us the stories behind the music. Setting Sun appeared on the soundtrack to the Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth film. London Bombs came through when they were anxiously waiting to hear from friends in London throughout the bombings in 2005. As Kav so poetically put it – “for such a dark record it was the summer of our content”.
The songs continued. From the stunning acappella opening from the frontman with their hit Sarah, through to the whole room swaying together to the albums closing track, How Does It Feel, they relived many old moments in time, while creating new ones simultaneously.
The band finished and left the stage. The crowd stayed where they were knowing there was more to come. Not chanting for more, just eager anticipation for what was next.
And there was more. They introduced the band with Timothy Nelson on keys, and Paul ‘Horsepower’ Keenan on drums. A man apparently known for breaking a kickdrum or two.
Foreign Land opened the next small set. The song blew the roof off the venue. The three guitarists up front with Nelson swinging between electric acoustic and keys, Keenan belting away. We were taken though a time warp from 2009 to 2024 and their nostalgia trip The First Time. Then back to 2001 with Wake Up (with a slight interruption due to a ‘broken kick drum’), before we where whirled ten years ahead with Love Is A Drug. Until finally were catapulted back to 2004 with the beautiful From The Sea.
There is no doubt Eskimo Joe helped define the sound of Australian alternative rock throughout the 2000s. Their sound broke barriers within the boundaries of popular music at the time. It moved between piano-driven melancholy, soaring rock anthems, and intimate storytelling, while never losing its unmistakably Australian sound. Their vulnerability resonated with their audience as much then as it does today. And if you ever doubt that they still love what they do, just watch the smiles on their faces when they are up there on stage.
The ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’ 20th Anniversary tour will carry on across the country throughout May and June. If you can still get tickets, don’t miss out.
ESKIMO JOE
‘BLACK FINGERNAILS, RED WINE’
20th Anniversary Tour
Tickets via www.eskimojoe.net/tours
FRIDAY 1 MAY – FREO SOCIAL, FREMANTLE WA *SOLD OUT*
SATURDAY 2 MAY – FREO SOCIAL, FREMANTLE WA *SOLD OUT*
FRIDAY 8 MAY – THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE QLD *SOLD OUT*
SATURDAY 9 MAY – THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE QLD *SOLD OUT*
THURSDAY 14 MAY – CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE VIC
FRIDAY 15 MAY – CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE VIC *SOLD OUT*
SATURDAY 16 MAY – CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE VIC *SOLD OUT*
FRIDAY 22 MAY – THE FACTORY THEATRE, SYDNEY NSW
SATURDAY 23 MAY – THE FACTORY THEATRE, SYDNEY NSW *SOLD OUT*
FRIDAY 5 JUNE – THE GOV, ADELAIDE SA *SOLD OUT*
FRIDAY 12 JUNE – FREO SOCIAL, FREMANTLE WA
Thanks to Bronwyn Tasker PR
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