“Sing it all away my darlings…”

.

Photo credit: John de Haan

.

Like much of the world, my exposure to the Canadian indie music outfit Walk Off The Earth, until two days ago, constituted nothing more than a one-shot YouTube video from five years ago— yeah, the one with the five people playing Gotye’s Somebody That I Used To Know with one guitar? That’s Walk Off The Earth. The guitar thing was a cool party trick, but not a lot more to me— as far as I was concerned, Walk Off The Earth were a one-hit wonder, an overglorified cover band riding off edgy charm and internet gimmick.

While some of the above may hold true, my perceptions were cleansed of their cynicism by Walk Off The Earth’s spectacular performance last Friday at the Tivoli. Normally, when I attend concerts, I enjoy having pretext— knowing songs, expected set lists, etc. But last Friday I rocked up knowing practically nothing about Walk Off The Earth and still felt engaged enough for the whole act that by night’s end, I was confidently chanting lyrics alongside longtime fans.

Doors at The Tiv opened at a curiously early 7 pm, and Aussie musician Chris Watts played an unexpectedly funk-filled aperitif. Armed with nothing but a guitar, Watts garnered attention with his fingerpicked virtuosity and endearingly rambly lyrics. A down-to-earth indie act in the groove of San Cisco and Vance Joy, Chris Watts put forward a confident performance sure to turn many a curious ear to his Triple J Unearthed page— which, I suppose, is the whole point. Australian indie music is reaching peak levels of production value, and having “support for international act Walk Off The Earth” stamped across his strumming hand gives Watts a cut above in the ever-growing population of Aussie up-and-comers. Before his final few songs, Watts let slip that normally he has a backing band, and while he holds his own with just a guitar, I would have loved to hear a fuller sound from Watts’ work. Next time, I tell myself— I’m sure there’ll be one. I was pleasantly surprised when Amy Sheppard of Geronimo hitmakers Sheppard (duh) joined Watts for his final song. I was well affirmed in my desire for more layers to Watts’ sound; even the addition of one more voice gave him more dynamic, earning some awed applause from the crowd at the finale’s climax. Chris Watts is definitely one to keep an eye on.

.

Photo credit: John de Haan

.

I spent the time in between acts trying to suss out what was going on with the odd stage layout. Across two stage tiers were tables populated with odd lengths of colourful piping, can lights, and more instrument stands than I thought any band could possibly need. I needed only to wait for Walk Off The Earth to walk on to the platform to give these odd bits of furniture their function. Playful from the first, Walk Off The Earth’s introduction was an acknowledgement of their audience— a band member kicking a sound box until the sound desk loaded an electric swell and lights swivelled through stage smoke. The lights came down on four figures behind the topmost table (plus their drummer at the kit), and the familiar funk of Ed Sheeran’s Shape Of You played in time to the rise and fall of the tubing in the table, tapped out by the band members themselves. What Walk Off The Earth offer in their viral video sensations come across even more sensational in live performance, with stereo sound, lighting, and real-life energy. The band spread across stage to play an original song, led by the band’s only female member, Sarah Nicole Blackwood. I recall thinking that her vocal performance while still incredible, was somewhat lacking in its power from recording. That’s not unusual, first couple songs out on a live show… wait, what, she’s pregnant? So this lady is belting like it’s nobody’s business on an international tour while carrying a baby… and STILL managing to rock an amazing-looking bodysuit. My hero.

.

Photo credit: John de Haan

.

Even as I listened to songs I didn’t know the lyrics to, I didn’t ever find myself bored or overwhelmed. There was just so much to look at, so much to listen to, and never too much either way. The stage was so populated with different instruments at different times, the multilayered sounds constantly changing, that this show didn’t just seem like a celebration of an exclusive community— Walk Off The Earth’s performance was constantly inviting. The band describes themselves as “one part folk-pop, one part sketch group, [and] one part quirky musical experimenters”, a description that’s accurate in both its transcending the boundaries of music genre and its acknowledging of music as a performance art that spills across all others. Walk Off The Earth’s music is music first— their music has the same dynamic self-awareness as Pentatonix and The Cat Empire, while somehow being something different altogether. They played though many of their original pieces, including the festival chant Sing It All Away (which came up as a musical si(n)gnature throughout the night), Gang of Rhythm, Issues, their newest single Taekwondo (with fight choreography!) and Red Hands, among others. Each of the band members played practically a different instrument every song, ranging from orchestral brass to 80s synth guitars, kazoos, and electric clarinets…. I didn’t even know they were a thing.

Walk Off The Earth continued to surprise, even through their covers of familiar pop songs. Pharrell Williams’ Happy, Chainsmokers’ Closer, and Adele’s Hello all got the Walk Off The Earth treatment, complete with melodica played by stonefaced magnificence Mike “Beard Guy” Taylor. Ukuleles were thrown, drummer Joel Cassidy clapped in double time, and the band obviously had a blast, so naturally, the audience did too. But it wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun if the band weren’t such individually proficient musicians across so many instruments— they made the musical shenanigans and high production value seem effortless.

As the end of the night approached, the band did something peculiar— they asked the audience to play them a song. Beard Guy (after a gibberish-filled sketch with Sarah) obliged to lead on the piano, and the familiar strains of a karaoke staple sent an auto-sway command through the venue— yep, imagine a building of people all screaming Bohemian Rhapsody while the rest of the band reset their instruments in preparation for the finale and inevitable encore. It was a moment of magic. Yes, there would be an encore, but I would have been content to have left the night (and perhaps walked off the earth myself) right then.

.

Photo credit: John de Haan

.

At very show I’ve ever been to, the encore chant has simply been “one more song” ad nauseum. But that night, we all sang the tag to Sing It All Away. I loved the intimacy of that, the pop-up community. It is, after, what music is meant to do— bring people together.

The lights came back up on a seemingly levitating guitar, and I flashed back to my first encounter with Walk Off The Earth in 2012— that first YouTube clip of Gotye’s Somebody That I Used To Know. Five years on, and the band have chucked in some other hits— Twist and Shout, Royals, and I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)— before they transitioned seamlessly into their original All Time Low. As we all Sang It All Away one last time, giant balloons descended from the ceiling, Walk Off The Earth took their final bow, and the Tivoli applauded for long after the five left the stage. It’s easy to see how five multi-instrumentalists from Canada could take their show Down Under. What’s harder to see is how it took them so damn long.

.

Photo credit: John de Haan

.

Check out John de Haan’s gallery of the SYDNEY show HERE

.

AMNPLIFY – DB