In Australia to promote his latest album Changing Horses, Ben Kweller, that indie-folk hipster with the shaggy hair and chipmunk cheeks, needed no introduction when he took the stage at Sydney's Metro Theatre.
Originally from Emory, Texas, Kweller's fourth studio album signposts a journey to his hometown's country roots. Those concerned that with a change in musical direction comes an insipid product need not worry. The Ben Kweller fans have come to see is in full force at the Metro, complete with a country sound that to the uninitiated would appear an enduring hallmark of the 27-year-old's career.
On a humid Sydney night, Kweller doesn't seem worse for wear, thrashing out a melange of new material interspersed with classic Kweller hits, all designed to make young indie girls weak at the knees. He achieves just this, performing classic tunes such as 'On My Way' and 'Sundress' while the low hum of an eager, mostly female crowd can be heard during both choruses.
On new material, such as 'Wantin' Her Again' the addition of a steel guitar is a true master stroke and only serves to augment Kweller's rediscovered Southern drawl. An ability to meld so many seemingly disparate sounds provides another coup as the steel blends effortlessly with some of Kweller's earlier, but always popular, tracks. It's an overall sound not too dissimilar to the likes of Chicago-based country-cum-rock-folksters Wilco, particularly on their seminal and highest grossing album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
All this bodes well for an artist, who while very much a veteran with a slew of albums to his name, is still in his 20s. Despite his boyish frame, Kweller certainly has no trouble ripping into high-energy tunes such as 'Falling' and 'Commerce, TX'. The crowd are all too aware of his ability to mix soft and slow melodies with heavier jams - they stand in a trance-like-state ready to acquiesce with whatever musical direction Kweller takes. It's an exciting journey for the devoted, one that leaves the listener better off for having taken that initial step into the world of Ben Kweller.
Daniel Bloom
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