Custard @ NGV
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Custard @ NGV

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Custard were an appropriate choice for opening night of the NGV’s Friday Night series since like many of the greats, they present intelligent, off-beat and timeless works of art.

 

Returning in 2015 with Come Back, All Is Forgiven they haven’t played live much so one could be forgiven for forgetting what a rare treat it is to watch David McCormack onstage.

 

 Opening with The New Matthew and “leaning into it” was perfect, while Matthew Robert Strong playing a slide guitar solo on Pack Yr Suitcases with an Asahi bottle was more than just a playful nod to the event’s sponsor, it was also satisfactorily bad-arse. During Orchids In Water Robert Strong, clearly revelling in the lively atmosphere, chose to spend his allotted guitar solo time standing at the front of the stage, arms outstretched, simply lapping up the cheers.

 

McCormack also had a lot of fun; during 1990s he directed sound engineer Andy to throw every effect he had at his vocals and guitar until the Great Hall was awash in reverb and echo. It should be noted that McCormack and Robert Strong are equally accomplished, their hazy solos and imaginative licks shared evenly. Drummer Glenn Thompson also got his time to shine with a few songs out front, most notably Contemporary Art, while bassist Paul Medew held down the groove so well that his toddler daughter couldn’t contain herself to not be the most excitable dancer in the room.

 

By the end, the new album had gotten a solid workout with eight of its 11 songs mixed seamlessly with their back catalogue. This past week we’ve seen that sometimes things can get weird and things can get bad, so it was rejuvenating to experience more than one’s depressing Facebook feed. Life is still pretty great, guitar solos remain rad and Custard have always and will always rule.

 

Words by Nick Roe

Image by Lee Dot

Highlight: That beer bottle guitar solo.

Lowlight: Getting back to the real world.

Crowd Favourite: 1990s