Despite being one of Australia's most popular bands, Eskimo Joe will only be on the road for one tour of its native country this year. So take the chance to catch the three-piece perform songs from its latest album Inshalla while you can, as it stops in Melbourne this August for a couple of gigs. Eskimo Joe as a live act isn't about visuals or high concepts - the show is very much about the music. The three-piece make an effort in terms of outfits - they dress up rather than down - but vocalist and bassist Kav Temperley, drummer and guitarist Joel Quartermain and guitarist Stuart MacLeod let the tunes run the show, keeping their casual interactions with the audience to a minimum.
But their songs don't need such support. Recent hits like Sarah, New York (see the excellent video here) and Black Fingernails Red Wine get the crowd singing along with ease, and current single Foreign Land (rumoured to be written about fellow Perth boy Heath Ledger) is a classic-in-waiting. With over a decade's worth of playing together as a band under their belts, Eskimo Joe is a tight-sounding band that are hard to knock.
They formed in 1997, despite each of them being involved with other bands at the time. Their break came when they won the Australian National Campus Band Competition, part of the prize being a recording session, which resulted in the Sweater EP. The title track went on to make Triple J's Hottest 100 that year.
In 2001 they released their debut album Girl, which featured in the hit TV series The Secret Life Of Us and propelled them to fame. Second album A Song Is A City saw more chart success and ARIA awards, but it was their third album Black Fingernails, Red Wine that scored them their first No 1, and their first Top 10 single.
New album Inshalla has been garnering their best reviews yet, with critics saying the band has finally found its groove and is now doing what it does best. Decide for yourself by checking them out live at one of their shows.
Make your way to the Palace Theatre website for info on tickets and dates (click on "August").
Why? They're one of Australia's best bands.
WHEN: August 6 & 7, 2009
WHERE: Palace Theatre, Melbourne
COST: $55
MAP: click here
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