Australian singer-songwriter Aurora Jane launched her third album Deep End at the Blue Frog last night, with her four-piece band. Despite it being a free gig at the Lower Parel venue, the audience was comprised of barely 70 people, including friends of the band.
Starting at 10 pm, the band played a two-hour set of some fairly standard, funk-infused pop rock. Blue Frog co-owner and guitarist Dhruv Ghanekar accompanied the quartet on stage for a few opening songs, breathing life into their music with a few wowsome solos, followed by a cameo by a Dharavi beatboxing choir. The other members of Aurora Jane’s band, especially their newest addition – trumpeteer Mal Webb, turned out some of the most entertaining performances of the night. Every few songs, the band would take a break and leave the stage, leaving the fruity Webb in his starched grey suit, dancing fluid and angularly across the stage, beatboxing, looping his vocals with pedals, and singing operatically. At another interval, he demonstrated his technique of sideways-yodeling, with amusing little songlets about acronyms (“End of Escalator Stopping and Pondering Syndrome is EESAPS”).
Jane dedicated songs to friends and various parts of India, with decent guitar solos, and genial lyrics that unfortunately came off a tad contrived – from either too much thought or the utter lack of it. Webb switched from trumpet to bass to chapmanstick, and the bassist came forth to perform a song he’d picked up from West Africa. The performance was pleasant and efficient, but entirely forgettable.
Indiecision: C
Check out the setlist below.
‘Parallel Skin’
‘Did you Know’
‘Music In Everything’
‘Move Over’
‘Till I Die’
‘Happy’
‘Let Love In’
‘Lazy Monday’
‘Sound of Love’
‘Money’
‘Deep End’
‘Seven Sisters’
‘Transparent’
‘All In Your Hands’
‘Burning’
‘What It Is’
Photos by Monisha Ajgaonkar
Aurora Jane @ Blue Frog, Mumbai
Aurora Jane @ Blue Frog, Mumbai
Aurora Jane @ Blue Frog, Mumbai
Aurora Jane @ Blue Frog, Mumbai
Twitter
Facebook