The Sleepy Jackson / Old Man River / Luke Blond

Andy J Ryan Mar 20, 2023

The Sleepy Jackson - Paddington Town Hall, 23 June 2006
A grand stately venue was the scene for the launch of an epic album. The Sleepy Jackson launched Personality (One was a Spider, One was a Bird) at the Paddington Town Hall.†

Whilst I didn't quite get there for Luke Blonde, I had the sneaking suspicion I'd be seeing him a bit later regardless. Old Man River, a man, his voice and guitar, a cellist and...a monkey. The first thing one would think of when you see a monkey-suited figure is, what are they advertising? But thankfully, it wasn't a mere gimmick to distract from the fact that there was a deficiency in musical talent to cover up, quite the opposite in fact.
So to the Sleepy Jackson, in Mr Steele (who is never quite sure how he is spelling his first name these days...?) Australia have their own musical genius, an enigma wrapped in a puzzle - perhaps; an enigma wrapped in a fine sharp suit - definitely. Not for purely cosmetic/stylistic reasons mind you, more as a statement of standards - an outward showing of the expected level of perfection to be obtained. Really, this man has so much more going on in his head than he could ever hope to create on humble instruments. Tonight launching their new album Personality (One was a Spider, One was a Bird), it was only the second show The Sleepy Jackson had played in Australia in the past two years, a humble acknowledgement of the fact that they were still glad to have any fans left.
Whilst the significance of the venue may have passed some by, it previously had been the scene of one of Australia's, if not the wider musical world's most influential bands sharing the stage nearly three decades prior. For it was the Paddington Town Hall where Radio Birdman and The Saints played a double bill in 1977, forced upon them as all other venues in town would not let them play, and they were left to make their own scene. In much the same way, it was quite a fitting venue for the Sleepy Jackson, who seemingly operate on the periphery of the established music industry of today, so brimming with ideas they could not be contained by a regulation set in a typical venue. Indeed many of the songs played, including Bed of Nails, Good Dancers and God Lead Your Soul contain enough tangents to fill most bands' albums, let alone operate within the one piece of music. The height and scale of the ceilings and the ornate columns nicely fitted the grandness of the songs aired from the new album. The new guitarist (who resembles Spod, but with pants) quite admirably provided soaring backing vocals, the music driven along by an intriguing mixture of percussion.
Even their most musically accessible moment, the gloriously rhythmic Vampire Racecourse, cost the drummer three drum sticks trying to keep up with its frantic canter, and I'm buggered if I or anyone else except Mr Steele could comprehend the story told within. But then again, one of the world's most potently memorable songs had the baffling lyric "there's a bustle in your hedgerow". As an entity, Sleepy Jackson are hardly a pillar of stability, with Luke hiring and firing three bands in the past three years but the current line-up do incredible justice to the songs. See them while you can.