Live Reviews : Orphaned Land, Voyager, and Orsome Welles @ The Espy, Gershwin Room, Melbourne 22/03/2014

I’ll admit, until only a few days ago, I hadn’t heard of Orphaned Land. It now feels ashamedly so; these guys are simply amazing and this was to be their first ever tour of our humble southern land. To give you an example of how serious I am though, I’ve seen a lot of bands – fantastic international groups – but it’s not every one that can claim to have had me completely entranced and ‘held’ by their aura. To the point where at times I had to remind myself to note things down. One of the immediate things that come to mind when I think of that night is that it was a spiritually empowering experience.

Now I don’t consider myself to be an overly spiritual individual and I haven’t been the religious type for some years. But one thing I can say about Orphaned Land that I found quite incredible was how regardless of the type of person you are – age, ethnicity, spiritual or religious preference – Orphaned Land seemed to reach everyone at some level. The sheer diversity of the crowd assembled here was testament to that. It wasn’t even just spectators, either. You had people in their 20’s to people in their late 40’s all swaying about, some jumping; just people getting into it. It was quite a thing to watch.

More about that later though.

Orphaned Land Australian Tour 2014

Orsome Welles. What can I say? Here was another band I was witnessing for the first time tonight, and wow, these guys were incredible live. While at first there were a few complications for me and a few of the other VIP people getting inside (the Espy didn’t have all the guest lists on them at first), I found it interesting how even though this slight mishap cut into the first five minutes of Orsome Welles’ set, I would look around and see people becoming all frantic and desperate to get inside – which isn’t something you always see when concerning opening acts. But needless to say, once word was given we could go in, in a frantic rush, they all swarmed inside charging to the front of the pit to add to what was already an impressive turn out.  Bathed beneath the iridescent lights, there was an almost psychedelic 60’s/70’s feel to Orsome Welles that I really liked, and it was brilliant watching frontman  Michael Stowers down whole jugs of beer while up on stage (he did this about three times).

In a room that was quite small, the Gershwin Room felt snuggled in with quite a nice, warming vibe to it. Adding to what was already an impressively sized hotel and venue, The Gershwin Room seemed to add that extra slice of flavour to what was already a delectable palette. Also, take note too. There will be a few moments throughout this review where I make reference to a couple of the odd, but usually hilarious things my mate who was with me said. One of them was this: ‘it’s like a gothic hunting lodge. I almost half-expect animal head’s to be on the wall.’ That was alongside his other interesting remark that at first hadn’t occurred to me, but then later I could see it. He mentioned how, while no doubt by coincidence, each of the band members looked rather similar to Michael in terms of attire, the synchronised movements and such, and how it was almost as if they were each the same person but in a different iteration. For example, Michael with a beard, Michael with long hair, and so forth. It was quite a trip when I started looking at it that way (hey, I warned you things would get weird). As he also went on to say later on, there was almost a 1920’s Noir feel to the whole place, and that vibe only made going there an even better experience.

Orsome Welles took whole advantage of this enclosed space, and used it to heighten what was already a powerful and infectious stage presence. Throughout the unusual time signatures in their music to the way each band member was given their moment to shine, the experimental prog rock worked remarkably well. It was one of those things that made you immediately sit up (or stand in this instance) and pay attention. The rhythm section was down-right majestic and crushing all at once. I haven’t anything like it in quite some time. Before finishing up their set, Michael went on to say, ‘Orphaned Land. What an amazing night this is gonna be, Melbourne. I’m psyched!’ before going on to ask if they had a good time, to which was met by a resounding ‘yes!’ After this show, the wide appeal for this band suddenly made so much sense. If you ever get the chance to see these guys live, take it. I can assure you that you won’t regret it.

Next on the roster was the Perth-based prog metal band Voyager. Unlike the others, this was a band I had heard of; having listened to some of their songs online, and checking out the “I Am Voyager” campaign they did a little while back. To put it plain: these guys are good.

Coming out on stage with a bang, Daniel “Toothgap” Estrin announced, ‘Good evening, Melbourne. We are Voyager. Are you ready?!’ There was a great crowd response, and it seemed just as many people were psyched for Voyager as they were for Orsome Welles which was fantastic to see. More power to the opening acts!

Daniel’s stage persona was a force unto itself. Continually engaging with the crowd, there was such a hefty response from the crowd. There would be constant chanting and cheering, fist pumping and full-venue clapping. You could tell Daniel and the rest of the Voyager gang just lapped it up and understandably so. ‘Thank you, Melbourne,’ Daniel went on to say. ‘We’re all here to support Orphaned Land. Everyone say “Shalom Salaam”!’ and actually managed to wing in a few people crying it out which was cool. It was nice seeing a band that clearly loved and respected their fans too. Daniel would point out to people in the crowd screaming out lyrics to him, smiling that great smile of his as people took photos on their phones, and getting everyone involved in their choruses.

There wasn’t a dull moment between either of the openers, and Voyager’s set was mesmerising to watch. The way they worked a crowd was an impressive feat, and I’ve got to give them kudos for clearly giving it their all (I obviously wasn’t the only one who thought this, either. There were a ton of people walking by the merch booth at the end of the night when I was buying an Orphaned Land tee saying to Daniel who was back there at the time “great show!” and stuff like “you killed it!” and that Voyager indeed achieved).

Just because it’s too great not to mention, I feel I have to make note of the midpoint in Voyager’s set where they went on to play a sequence of different openers and theme songs from a wide variety of tracks while Daniel played keyboard on an old 1989 unit that he later apologised for if he sounded terrible for that reason. It actually sounded fantastic though! And made covers like Van Halen’s “Jump” sound even more authentic. Opening with the classic “Kung Fu Fighting”, they went on to perform renditions of “What Is Love” (with the bassist hilariously singing the woman’s harmonies), “Eye of the Tiger”, “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)”, the Beverly Hills Cop theme, and John Farnham’s version of “You’re the Voice” which led to rapturous cheer and a venue filled with punters echoing the power ballad. Everyone loved it, with one guy standing next to me who said, ‘That was wonderful!’

Closing their set for the night, Voyager ended with a bang with drumming so heavy it was a like a minor tremor in the room (no joke), and Daniel’s proclamation of ‘Come on, Melbourne. Headbang with us!’ to which was happily obliged.

All Is One

Emerging on stage at 10.45, the oriental melodies of the East filled the Gershwin Room as Orphaned Land took to the stage with “Through Fire and Water”. Decorated in beads and chains, Kobi Farhi commanded the stage and his hold over the audience continued throughout the whole night. I’ve listened to and heard a lot of music – many different, varying world styles – and I can honestly say I’ve never anything quite like Orphaned Land. As Kobi would wander about the stage like some sort of Middle-Eastern mystic, the Gershwin Room was filled with the haunting oriental stylings of the East. It was a gorgeous and unique experience.

‘It’s so great to finally be here,’ Kobi began, ‘Australia is country number 40 Orphaned Land is visiting.’ He then got everyone in the crowd to raise their hands is a spiritualistic sort of gesture, shaking your hands to the heavens high. There was such an epic, atmospheric feel to the whole set, and Kobi is an undeniably charismatic and fascinating frontman. He’d engage the crowd in such soft, welcoming tones, but then could just as quickly shift into screaming the nightmarish howls in tracks like “Barakah”.

There was great vigour and rawness to Orphaned Land’s set, but not rawness in the sense of production but more so in the sense of the emotional impact the band had. They were speaking of cultural issues and it would speak to you – whether directly or subconsciously – and it was hard to deny the weight of being Orphaned Land had when they on stage. They ruled the Gershwin Room like benevolent pharaohs, constantly bringing you in and then opening your eyes to a new musical state. It was like some sort of spiritual awakening was happening.

Everyone was engrossed in their music and stage presence. Everywhere you looked, you’d see people jumping around cheering, women belly-dancing, people clapping and continual chants and fist pumps. It’s as Kobi often says, music brings people together. And tonight was absolute testament to that. Painted beneath the golden rays of the overhead lights, it almost gave Kobi a divine quality which seemed all the more fitting with the line that followed. ‘You all know the Middle-Eastern construct, yes? Well we all think it’s a load of crap’ – met by great applause – ‘Music is the best religion to practice. When we’re all here [the rest] doesn’t matter. We’re all of Arab descent; the descendants of Abraham; all brothers and sisters.’

With their soulful riffs and beautifully haunting harmonies, there was an intense power to Orphaned Land that flowed throughout their whole set and I found myself completely drawn to their magnetic aura and completely immersed in their aural journey. It all served to truly bring the spiritualism and touch of Israel to Australia. As Idan Amsalem brought out the bouzouki – a Greek plucked string instrument – “El Meod Na’Ala”, the gorgeous instrumental that followed, was simply magical to watch. Followed by “Ya Benaye”, Kobi made an amusing comment when he said, ‘Now this song is of our new album. It’s in some form of Yemenite Hebrew. I swear I have no idea what I’m saying!’ then he and the crowd laughed. For the closer of the night, the venue went dark and all of the guys turned around. Slowing turning back, they led into the fantastic track “In Thy Never Ending Way”. Everyone was swaying about, and a sea of hands and hair filled the venue.

Leading offstage the venue was consumed by chanting as Kobi remerged and the spotlight shone only on him. The sorrowful melody of “The Beloved’s Cry” swam through the crowd, veiling them in Kobi’s enchanting voice as the encore began. Announcing that unusually this was a love song written by them when they only 16 only Kobi and Chen Balbus were on stage as Chen played the melodies that served as the other emotional vehicle behind the song. It was a powerful and moving experience.

Following this, Kobi thanked Melbourne for ‘inviting us to your amazing Australia’ before going on to mention how they were on the plane over here for 32 hours and that you’d think the first thing they’d do is go to sleep. But instead they went straight to SBS to film an interview. He then asked how many of us watched that interview and that was the reason they were here. One guy responded with ‘yes’, before Kobi jokingly replied, ‘I don’t believe you!’ and everyone laughed.

Before leading into “Norra el Norra (Entering the Ark)”, Kobi asked ‘[Does] everyone like my manly dress? And my shoes, I can’t seem to find them! I’m ancient, I come from ancient times.’ Before ending with a smirk, ‘I’m the second coming but without the virgin.’ He then brought up a woman from the crowd – adorned with beautiful Eastern jewellery and thin laced attired for the evening – up on stage while asking after people interested in coming onstage to belly-dance. It only served to add to the whole night and the band closed on a high note with an excerpt from “Ornaments of Gold”.

The Orphaned Land gig is certainly one I’m certain I’ll remember for many years to come, and was one of the more unique and spiritually engaging shows I’ve ever gone to. “Ornaments of Gold” was but the icing on the cake for what was already an amazing, unforgettable night.

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