Augie March, looking a bit haggard - maybe a little drunk, performed their second set of the day - earlier they made an appearance at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival at Golden Gate Park. This didn't stop the Melbourne based band from rocking out their eclectic mix of music at Slim's on Friday night. Their music ranges from pop in "One Crowded Hour" to folk in "Bottle Baby" then jumps head first into the rockabilly with the honky-tonk piano on "The Baron of Sentiment." The exciting part about their performance was that they could play each one of these genres with precision.
Though a small crowd (Augie March was opening for the opener) it seemed that their music reached a variety of people. There was the stereotypical super-fan (a pseudonym for crazy-ass-girl) who was rocking out like nobody's business in the front row who sang every word, while a forty-something Mom (with her teenage son) bobbed her head and analyzed each nuance. We stood there smiling because we enjoyed the music as much as we did the people-watching. Even those who were there to see The Aliens (the headliner) seemed to be digging it.
The banter between the drummer, David Williams and lead singer, Glenn Richards, was fascinating and quite funny even though their thick Australian accents took some getting used to. Richards' singing voice was clean, non-affected and unique. He shined when he sang the folk tune, "Bottle Baby" which he accompanied himself on the guitar. The crowd favorite was "One Crowded Hour," the first single, off their latest creatively-named album, Moo, You Bloody Choir. Though short, Augie March's set was flawless and quickly hooked the audience with their catchy, yet eclectic, range of music - we understood why this band was voted #1 on Australian's radio station winning them an Australian Music Prize (AMP) in 2006.
Take the jump to see pictures of the concert...