Hi-Fi Bar, Sydney
Sunday March 24, 2013 :
New Orleans indie-rockers MuteMath put forth a delicious offering of music to feed the soul on Sunday night at Sydney’s Hi-Fi. If there was ever any doubt that the gig would be worth the two hour drive on the F3 they were quashed within the first few seconds. The band marched through the crowd, drums in hand to begin an outstanding show. The band played a close to capacity crowd with enough room to move and breathe safely, but not entirely comfortably. But, if it’s too comfortable, then it’s probably not rock and roll.
MuteMath are definitely rock and roll. They have the ability to veer into genres like pop and soul, based on the vocals of Paul Meany and his ability on the keys. The growl in Meany’s jowl is undeniable. But, add in the rest of the quartet and anything is possible.
Each member of MuteMath is brilliant. Bassist Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas is phenomenal with his measured phat beats or his up-tempo finger running tracks, depending on the occasion. He most certainly dresses the part with his long brown hair. Recent addition and replacement guitarist Todd Gummerman is probably the modest one of the group, until you give him a solo. And drummer Darren King – Fucking brilliant. You could tell when he strapped his headphones under his chin he meant business. The percussion aficionado is definitely doing his part to keep rock and roll drummers alive.
MuteMath delivered a super-tight opening with five straight hits, mostly from their 2011 Odd Soul album. They followed up with a psychedelic interlude, extended solos and jamming. They also threw in some new tracks that were created on the Australian leg of the tour, although they were not particularly good. There were hints of The Doors as Meany got busy on old school keys, but MuteMath were definitely at their best when they did their thing, best described as new age soul rock. The entertainment factor was high with Meany showing off his talents, including a handstand on the keyboard and balancing on an inflatable life raft as he was passed around the crowd. It was a gig that left your ears ringing.
Reviewer: Jess Kellar
Photographer: Clare Hawley
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