Bob Moses + Nyxen @ 170 Russell 29-11-19
photos + words: Sarah Rix (@sarahrix)
Review
“…the band throwing big instrumentals out at the crowd to help set the scene.”
It’s always a nice surprise when an artist is able to surprise you. On record, Bob Moses’ moody, downtempo electronica is pleasant in its own right – the perfect soundtrack to the millennial’s multi-tasking life.
Live though, the two-piece (rounding out their live ranks with a bassist and drummer, but more on them later) is fully capable of inspiring a swarm of bodies to dance. They pick up the tempo and morph their sounds to a mix of jungle beats, industrial house and, surprisingly, some good old rock n’ roll.
Walking into Melbourne’s 170 Russell, you might have expected a sleepy show; rainy weather befitting the impending sense of gloom.
Opener Nyxen took to the stage to a slowly filling-in audience. Her one-woman show jumped right into the upbeat electronics – the Sydney artist spending her set switching between guitar, keyboards, and bass throughout the set, alongside pre-recorded backing beats and harmonies.
Nyxen
It’s evident she loves music and knows her way around an instrument. Nyxen closed on a high – “Chains” and “In The City” both receiving a warm reception from those with an ear to Spotify and triple J.
Nyxen
Bob Moses
Vancouver’s Bob Moses have taken a while to get to Melbourne for their own headlining show. While they’ve stopped by in the past on festival bills or as touring support, it’s been a slow burn – much like their music.
The duo of Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance started out in 2012, but it took them a solid three years before the release of their debut, 2015’s Days Gone By (their All In All EP compilation not included.) Another three years went by – September 2018 seeing the release of Battle Lines.
Bob Moses
They opened their Melbourne set with “Heaven Only Knows”, the lead-off track from Battle Lines, and both “Nothing but You” and “Eye for an Eye” made early appearances – the band throwing big instrumentals out at the crowd to help set the scene.
Bob Moses
The emphasis on rock n’ roll might have been surprising, but much of the Battle Lines material seemed to fall into this category – “Selling Me Sympathy” certainly heavy on the drum and bass.
We also need a side note to talk about their touring bassist, who was absolutely delightful to watch thanks to the mix of incredible bass face and overall stage presence. This was well on display with “Like It Or Not”, inspiring the first of a few big dance breaks of the night – the lyrics dropping out to make way for its jungle-esque instrumental interlude.
Bob Moses
If this were the Wizard of Oz, Jimmy Vallance would no doubt be the man behind the curtain, controlling everything with deft work behind the keys, his blonde hair making him look like an 80s hockey player or an integral part of Spinal Tap. It was Tom Howie’s vocals that held the crowd captive, however. His voice is the equivalent of silk – it’s smooth, assured and ties all of Bob Moses’ musical escapades together. Even a surprising cover of the Prodigy’s “Breathe” played well, the band breezily switching its industrialism for R&B with the “All I Want” follow-up.
In typical Canadian fashion, they kept their stage banter to a minimum – though Vallance did offer one point of hope, telling the audience: “Man, we gotta come to Australia more often.”
The night ended with the familiar guitar intro of “Tearing Me Up” and, hopefully, a room full of people who will convince their friends to come along the next time Bob Moses make their way to Australia. It’s a live show worth seeing.
Bob Moses
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