Thursday, July 01, 2021

Jane Bordeaux, live at Shoham Arts Centre (26/06)

 This was my first post-pandemic concert and it was in a most unlikely place -- a cultural centre in the small city of Shoham.  Surprisingly, the Tel Aviv alt-country hipster vibe translated well to the more upscale suburban population of this town.  And it couldn't have been easy for the band -- with the mask mandate back in place over the weekend, they were faced with a wall of expressionless, masked clones with which to engage with.

Jane Bordeaux are a charming, professional bunch, but I actually find their Americana-drenched songs about heartbreak and whiskey fairly unconvincing.  They're at their best when they delve into sleepy dreampop, more akin to early Beach House.  I'm sure most of their fans (and even perhaps the band themselves) would strongly disagree.  Nevertheless, their perfectly paced 75-minute set was filled with highs and ended with a sweet singalong to the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love".  Tough to find a better band to ease out of a pandemic with -- slowly, gracefully, and without much fanfare.  

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