An Acoustic Evening With Mark Lanegan & Greg Dulli
I had waited five long years to see Mark Lanegan perform live, and finally on the 24th of July 2009 he rolled into Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre. Following swiftly behind was a compatriot, a slightly lesser known singer-songwriter called Greg Dulli. There was nothing overly complicated about the scheduled performance, it was simply going to be two voices backed up with an acoustic guitar. The Gutter Twins is a collaboration many have dreamed of and wished for, and it was Australia’s turn to witness what promised to be a special evening.
This was my very first visit to the Athenaeum Theatre. I attend as many concerts as my pocket can afford but they’re generally more energetic, informal affairs. The theatre itself is rather old, decorative sculptured designs litter the walls and unlike the other venues I’ve attended, it was clean. Before the crowd was filed in through a set of old wooden doors, I was lucky enough to purchase a poster signed by the very musicians I was about to see. The poster itself cost fifty dollars but immediately after the eighteen copies had been sold, I was offered double that price to part with what is now one of my most prized possessions. Naturally, I declined and in typically late fashion, the doors opened thirty minutes after the stated time.
When I eventually found my seat, I prepared for two hours of back pain. The floor plan is laid out well but the actual seats are incredibly uncomfortable, especially for someone as tall as I am. In an attempt to give the seats a ‘cosy’ look, they were coated with some sort of red cushion. This was in no way effective and I may as well have been sitting on a three legged stool. In the build up to the performance, I recalled in my mind what songs I had hoped to be played. Unfortunately, my knowledge of Greg Dulli’s work is limited. I don’t mean to demoralize the man but if it weren’t for Mark Lanegan there’s a good chance I wouldn’t have taken any interest in him. Lanegan is the whole reason I paid hard earned money to attend this event. His back catalogue of work is extensive to say the least; seven albums with his original grunge band ‘Screaming Trees’. He has recorded two albums with ex-Belle And Sebastian singer Isobel Campbell. He has contributed to several albums by Queens Of The Stone Age. In between all of this Lanegan has made six solo efforts. Finally last year, he released The Gutter Twin’s first album called ‘Saturnalia’ with the other man of the evening, Greg Dulli.
My back pain disappeared when the lights dimmed; The Gutter Twins appeared on stage. This sort of intimacy is rare and is in direct contrast to the glamour and commercial world of most current bands. During an interview with street magazine Inpress, Dulli said; ‘There’s no noise to hide behind. It’s very intimate so if you feel like yellin’ something, go for it.’ There wasn’t any elaborate stage production or fancy light show. There were three black seats lit by six lights while everyone else remained silent in darkness. The third seat had me a little confused, who was this Gutter triplet? He turned out to be a Will Ferrell lookalike who tours with them, in order to avoid certain constraints he was needed to support with another acoustic guitar. After a quick gesture of appreciation, The Gutter Twins kicked off with ‘The Body’ off their debut album. This set the tone for the remainder of the night, some excellent acoustic sounds paired with the dark, atmospheric voice that Lanegan is so well known for.
Throughout the set there was a well blended mix of tracks taken from both parties history. Solo work from Lanegan and Dulli made an appearance. ‘The Stations’ and ‘One Hundred Days’ further emphasized the dark atmosphere. The twenty track setlist was pinnacled by a cover, something I would generally be quite skeptical of with most bands. Thankfully, the final moments of the performance will remain embedded in my memory. The Gutter Twins played out the night with Nick Drake’s ‘Three Hours’, my favourite song by the ill-fated English musician. Drake isn’t the root of acoustic music but it’s nice to see current artists showing some appreciation to musicians gone by. Recently I’ve noticed acoustic sets becoming less common, especially since the popularity of electronica and hip-hop has risen. It’s an unfortunate fact because seeing music stripped to the bare minimum is a unique experience. In today’s society, the music industry has been destroyed by greedy labels and the complications surrounding copyright laws. An event like this one is a chance for artists to break out and have free reign. Live shows are notoriously unpredictable and that’s what makes music so special. Corporations are afraid of change and unpredictability, look at the history of Nine Inch Nails and you’ll see exactly what I mean. While money will continue to help us survive, it’s also the cause of much grief for artists in various mediums.
I could go into extreme details about the intricacies of each song The Gutter Twins played but it would never be able to recapture the atmosphere created within the theatre. There’s only one true way to hear music, and that’s when it’s being played live on a stage in front of you. A live recording is not a substitute, a bootleg copy will never be able to give you that same sense of energy. It’s great seeing people listen to music while doing their daily tasks but if the opportunity arises to see these performers in the flesh then you need to take advantage of it. In this particular case, the night was constantly interrupted by people deciding to go for a beer or a toilet break midway through a song, hence blocking my view of the performance. However, these irritations are outweighed by the presence of such well established musicians. Can an evening like this be summarized for the people who didn’t attend? Can I recapture what happened? The answer to both is definitely not.
Unlike exhibitions of artwork or sculpture, live music isn’t timeless. These bands may not be around in ten years time, they may never come back to Australia. Musicians come and go, some of them leave naturally while some leave us with a wave of controversy. I encourage you to get active in the live music scene no matter what genre takes your preference, make some inspiring stories to tell your children. Now I’ll leave you with this final note; long live the guitar, long live the voice, and long live The Gutter Twins.
I found that interesting to read even though I didn't have a particular interest in The Gutter Twins. Good work!
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