There were no Hobbits around during Midlake’s Bluebird show on Thursday, but the band’s soft-rock/folk set certainly would have warranted it. Photo by Lindsay McWilliams.
Touring in support of new CD “The Courage of Others,” Denton, Texas act played to a roughly 75 percent capacity, jammed-in-front audience at Thursday night. Midlake’s sound has been compared at times to Fleetwood Mac, late ’60s U.K. folk, Nick Drake and Jethro Tull. Complicating matters, for some, Midlake’s sound, over the course of their career, hasn’t merely evolved but changed with the release of each successive album.
The band’s latest direction largely drops the rock from the band’s earlier folk-rock, which can make for a challenging show to some concertgoers — particularly the few who may have shown up Thursday night expecting to get their weekend party started early. For the most part, however, the audience cut the typical “Can you hear me over this damn music?” chatter to accommodate the quieter sound of the show. This show, more than most, called for people being able to sit down and take it in.
While opening with a sizable portion of the new album, including the gorgeous “Rulers, Ruling All Things,” the band’s overall sound, complemented on this tour by two additional musicians (flute and guitar), was still restrained and certainly minor key but never morose or dirge-like, the vocals more reflective than brooding or morose. The two part harmonies created the desired effect quite well. The occasional three-part ones soared.
Still, when Midlake lead singer Tim Smith asked mid-set if the audience would mind if they played a few songs off their previous album, “The Trials of Van Occupanther,” the pace clearly picked up. A highlight toward the end of the hour-plus set was when drummer McKenzie Smith and the band showed off their jazz student chops on an extended jam that never seemed gratuitous or wanky.
Midlake’s performance showed a clear confidence in their new direction and, as trained musicians, executed it all remarkably well. The audience seemed very appreciative or as appreciative as one might expect, given the introverted nature of the new songs.
Fellow Texan opening act, , showed some potential, relying often on guitar effects to create a nice gauzy sound.
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Mike Long is a Denver writer and comedian and new contributor to Reverb. Check out his and .
