JEBEDIAH - The Corner Hotel, Richmond, 05/05/2011

Text and Photos by Matthew Hallett

                                                                   

After the band’s time away from the limelight, it would be difficult for Jebediah to know how they’d be received after such a long absence from the public domain. Two shows at the Corner Hotel, to audiences at maximum capacity is always a promising sign. With the band’s last album being 2004’s ‘Braxton Hicks’, new album ‘Kosciuszko’ (2011) has been a long time coming. Especially for the loyal fans who’ve stuck by the band over the years.

For many, the night was their first chance to see the Perth quartet live in a considerable amount of time, after Jebediah only doing a handful of shows in recent years. Even frontman Kevin Mitchell stated that it was the first time in around 11 years that Jebediah had played at The Corner Hotel.

As soon as Jebediah took to the stage, launching into Lost my Nerve it was evident their time apart had not affected their ability to put on a great live show. Kevin Mitchell kicking his feet around in a strange dance, before taking his stance at the microphone.

Many of the crowd wanting to hear some older material were not disappointed either. Three songs in and fans were treated to Puck Defender with one punter yelling out, “We love the ‘90s”. But there was a healthy mix of new and old material with Jebediah conscious of wanting to move forward, but at the same time wanting to play the tracks that everyone grew up with. New songs such as Under Your Bed and the ever so catchy She’s like a Comet were evenly dispersed between older classics such as Fall Down, Leaving Home, and Benedict. With Kevin Mitchell reflecting on lyrics written in Benedict stating sarcastically that he should have won a Logie with lyrics like that, before jokingly realising Logies won’t be awarded for song-writing.

Throughout the night it’s clear that each and every member of Jebediah is having a ball on stage and revelling in the joy of playing music with each other once again. The crowd is having just as good a time with smiles, dancing, and mouths motioning the shape of every lyric. The show rolled on from song to song in an energetic and well-flowing manner, and before you knew it, what was meant to be a 60 minute set, finished after around 95 minutes with the heartfelt classic Harpoon.