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Kelley Stoltz + The Smallgoods Grace Emily Hotel, Thurs 19 Jan  Well,
it seems the difference between anonymous local band and critically
acclaimed artist on prestigious record label is perhaps not so large
as it might seem. Sure, it was a lethally sweltering night, the beginning
of what has now been declared a veritable heatwave. And I hear The
Mark Of Cain received a warm (most likely very warm) hometown welcome
a few blocks away, to which a large potential crowd may have absconded.
Still, Kelley Stoltz, darling of the US indie scene and well-supported
home-recorder on Seattle's famous Sub Pop label, played his first
Adelaide show to a small and obedient crowd on the diminutive and
overcrowded stage at the Grace Emily. He could have been anybody,
really. And yet, in so many ways, he was in a league of his own. Stoltz's league was emphasised by his support act, The Smallgoods. An occasionally psychedelic '60s-inspired pop quintet (ˆ la The Anyones), The Smallgoods played a tight set to an irretrievably heat-exhausted crowd, filled with some of the closest harmonies you might ever hear. Their keyboard player was by far the main attraction, and his Eddie Rayner-esque quirkiness and keen sense of melody was appreciated by all. But in spite of all these drawcards, The Smallgoods failed to produce. A fondness for overbearingly lengthy pop composition discredited their otherwise well-structured tunes, and their loving appreciation for cliche was undermined by a sense of insincerity - exploration as opposed to communication - which pervaded their set. Still, they sound great, and from here great things could come. But despite the arrogant, sadistic force of heat (which did not permit any breeze to flow through the smoke-filled beer garden), Kelley Stoltz made his star shine. Accompanied by a temporary band of Australian musicians, he braved the temperature-afflicted non-responsive crowd to truly deliver. Latest single The Sun Come Through (and hell, how prescient is that) was a sure highlight, as was the under-rehearsed but brilliant encore. When every date on Stoltz's next tour sells out on the strength of his forthcoming album, we can all say we saw him first. That is, if the doctors ever let us out of the heatstroke ward from which I am writing this...  |
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