Live Gigs: Patti Smith’s Horses performed by Jen Cloher, Gareth Liddiard, Courtney Barnett & Adalita @ Melbourne Festival 2015

Well it’s been a month now I got back from Melbourne and when to alot of gigs so I think I’ll now I write about some them before I totally forget it or something, this thingy here should be like a record or diary or something.

pattismithhorsesjcglcbas — From top left clockworks it’s Jen, Gareth, Adalita and Courtney

So this one was a special one because how many times are all these artists going to play together? And play Patti Smith songs? They end up playing two shows only together so that answer those questions. It seems like it was Jen Cloher‘s idea because Patti Smith not touring Australia and she playing the album oversea but not here. Jen when the some shows with alot of male Aussie singers doing Beatles songs so was thinking what would the female version be? Patti Smith debut album Horses is 40 years old now, original released in 1975 so anyway it all came together like that. She ask three other singers to perform with her Adalita Srsen from Magic Dirt, Gareth Liddiard from The Drones and BFF/GF Courtney Barnett. It was performed twice at the Melbourne Town Hall on Sunday October 18th one show starting at 6pm and then next one closer to 9pm for Melbourne Festival 2015.

The Setlist:

Gloria In Excelsis Deo by Adalita

Redondo Beach by Courtney

Birdland by Gareth

Free Money by Adalita

Kimberley by Jen

Break It Up by Courtney

Land by Jen

Elegie by Gareth

Encore: My Generation by everyone singing one verse each with Barnett hitting drums and screaming into the mic at the end of the song and Liddiard playing crazy guitar solo plus throwing his guitar into the front role of the crowd, Adalita and Jen hugging each other and laughing at all the crazy stuff going on stage, Steve the keys player run off halfway to play Mel Town Hall huge organ thingy upstairs which he was also playing before the show started.

The Band was: Steve Hesketh – keys, Dan Luscombe – guitar
Jen Sholakis – drums, Ben Bourke – bass

018 — Everyone: Adalita, Steve, Jen C, Gaz, Jen S, Dan, Courtney and Ben from left to right

I have seen Smith live years ago, supporting Bob Dylan which she kicked his arse a crossed the stage that night. But seeing Horses performed twice was pretty dam wicked, everyone put there own twist on Patti Smith but playing the whole album in full from start to finish. I guess it would be only better if it was Patti. I’ve been listening to her and this album for years now plus last time I was in Melbourne about 12 months ago or so I got a t-shirt with the cover on it. Horses has to be her greatest and one of the best debut albums of all-time. I should really write more about it in Classic Albums post here sometime. Double J have just done a J File on the album too which it is here. I also was reading both 33 1/3 book and MOJO magazine on the album at the time too and I picked up her new book M Train while over there. ABC radio national has got a live recording of the night at the Mel Town Hall, well minus the encore here. A film crew of three or four cameras was filming the shows too. Jen apparently gave out the songs, who should play what and really it was perfect, I wouldn’t have changed it! Each track is amazing and artists preforming are amazing so it it all adds up to such a wicked night. It was so worth going all that way for it and the other shows which I’ll write about in the next few days, hopefully.

Edit: Milk Records has just uploaded almost all of it to YouTube