Kim Churchill – Biltmore Cabaret (Vancouver, April 16th, 2014)
Skot Nelson
Posted On April 18, 2014
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Watching Kim Churchill take the stage is an experience in and off itself. Despite the fact that the Australian singer-songwriter plays alone, he’s not exactly a minimalist when it comes to gear. The multi-instrumentalist sits behind a kit that includes a couple of guitars, a kick drum, a kick tambourine, a set of chimes and a larger pedal board that my brain could keep track of. On second thought, “sits behind” isn’t really accurate: Churchill seems to sit within his instruments, fusing himself into the equipment as part of the show that unfolds. (He also doesn’t wear shoes on stage, something that I fully support to encourage creativity—Steve Jobs famously eschewed them, after all.)
It had been almost exactly a year since Churchill’s last visit to Vancouver. While that show saw him opening for Billy Bragg at the beautiful and expansive Vogue Theatre (my review is here) this took place on the much smaller stage of the Biltmore Cabaret. The room was fairly packed and there was a palpable buzz by the time Churchill took the stage.
That crowd owes no small favour to not one but two opening acts for the night. North Vancouver’s The Tourist Company delivered a set of music with a solid indie rock aesthetic. The traditional four piece band apparently has lots of material ready to record, so look for more music from them soon.
Winnipeg’s Matt Epp was next with a quiet acoustic set. “As you can see, I kind of travel on the minimalist plan” the songwriter quipped before launching into a song that featured a solid riff of mouth trumpeting skills that were, apparently, handed down from his father. Epp is a singer-songwriter in the classic tradition of the wandering troubador: happy, it seems, to be rambling the world with his guitar and a notebook to write new songs. Catch him when makes it to your corner of the world, as he seems sure to do eventually.
With the opening acts done, the stage curtains were pulled to show a warm and smiling Churchill with that instrument kit. Launching into his opening number it became apparent that Churchill comes from the “give them everything you’ve got” school of choosing an opening number—while fingers were flying on his guitar and Churchill both singing and playing harmonica both feet went to work on the drum and tambourine to deliver a driving beat.Blindfolded, you’d hear a performance like this and say “Great band. Nice beat. I like it.” Coming from a single man, it’s frankly amazing.
Over the next hour and a half Churchill delivered more of the same, his feet and hands a blur. Watching Churchill play guitar live is an exercise in trying to figure out where to look. Like many guitarists, he can move from a finger picking style to playing chords but Churchill does so much more than that moving up the neck to play along its length and using his left hand in the manner of a capo to change keys while playing. It’s an impressive display of skill combined with a strong musical sense that keeps the show on track.
A highlight of the set came with Fear the Fire a moody and ethereal number from his most recent album Silence/Win that builds to an exhilarating crescendo. It was followed closely by a cover of Stuck in the Middle With You that Churchill said he’d tried for the first time in Victoria the night before. “…it was a mess,” he quipped, “it was a kind of a mess then too, but it was fun.”If Churchill’s voice seemed a bit rough and hoarse by the end of the night it had no impact on the show. It was a small matter, and it’s easy to forgive when you watch the man working so hard on stage at a show that came on the tail end of his album release tour. Seeing Churchill live in an intimate setting is one of the most engaging experiences I’ve had. Backed by solid songwriting, the multi-instrumental talent demonstrated can’t fail to impress.
Closing the set with Bathed in Black from his 2012 release was a wise choice—the show ended as strongly as it started, and Churchill’s beaming grin made it pretty clear that the artist had as good a time as the audience did—and that’s the best kind of show. Churchill’s the kind of performer who’s best suited to small, intimate venues where you can get close. With an audience that appears to be growing, and a fantastic new album out you should take the opportunity to catch him in these types of spaces while you still can. It may not last.
Kim Churchill’s new album Silence/Win is available in Canada on iTunes and is gradually being rolled out worldwide. The Vancouver show marked the end of this part of the tour and see the singer heading home to Australia, but future dates are listed on his web site.
