Last Saturday night, The Smith Street Band had the final show of their 15th-anniversary tour at the SS&A club in Albury.
Albury, once a major stopover for many touring bands, now rarely gets a visit by any large established act. It was poignant then, that TSSB chose to end such an important tour at a regional outpost.
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Opening acts, Albury locals Micro Cuts and Melbourne band Chasing Ghosts proved a perfect precursor for a quality night of solid Aussie sound. The Micro Cuts played a classy set of originals that included a great cover of ‘Song 2’ by Blur, while Chasing Ghosts’ lead singer Jimmy Kyle sang emotively about the atrocities that have plagued Australian history. Rarely have I seen a country town like Albury respond so openly and with the fervour that emerged during the Chasing Ghosts’ set, and the passion the band brought was palpable throughout the room. Truly the perfect opener for the Smithies.
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A Tribe Called Quests ‘Can I Kick It?’ accompanied TSSB walking on stage with roars from the audience, screaming for Wil Wagner to do a shoey from the first second of the set. The band meandered through 15 years of music, from their first EP Don’t F*ck With Our Dreams to their most recent album Life After Football, and it was remarkable that every lyric of every song was screamed back at the band by the crowd with intensity.
The Smith Street Band can capture the emotions and memories of so many in ways that are really unique to this crew. Wagner’s lyrics, paired with beer-fuelled nostalgia, fuelled a crowd who were full of emotion, nostalgia, and a sense of being in it all together, all sharing a deep love for the band’s music. I was certainly not immune, embracing waves of ‘natsukashii’ (the Japanese concept of “joy and gratitude for the past”) remembering the first time I saw the band at a time when the world was coming out of a major lockdown and into a very different world.
Closing the set-off, Smithies went into ‘Throw Me in The River’ off their third album with the same title, this was the perfect final song for such an incredible tour for the band.
I have seen a lot of bands in my life but none compare to the level of care that The Smith Street Band has for their fans; their interactions with the fans have always been incredibly important to the community that surrounds them, and their willingness to meet and talk to fans should be praised more than it is already.
The Smith Street Band is that band that changes people’s lives – they save people. You can see that if you talk to their fans or even simply go to one of their shows. If you have the chance, I could not recommend seeing The Smith Street Band enough; they are everything you want out of Aussie rock and more.
