Mountain Goats (5th January, Corner Hotel)

I had high hopes for this gig and was definitely not disappointed. The Mountain Goats have visited Australia several times in recent years but this was the first time I've seen them live. John Darnielle and Peter Hughes seem to love performing and have a great rapport with the audience. As their most recent album Get Lonely is more mellow than their previous ones, they respectfully balanced the songs from this album with those that were more energetic to ensure the audience remained engaged and enthusiastic. The stories giving the background for each song were quirky and often gave a take on the lyrics I hadn't previously considered.

They also played No Children which was what I'd been hoping to hear. It was great to sing along with so many other people who also seem to love this track (they played it as the last song of the first encore, after frequent requests).

The opening act John Vanderslice (who is actually their producer, www.johnvanderslice.com) was also great and his style complemented the Mountain Goats. I think I'll be purchasing his album at some stage, if I can get hold of it. He also came on stage later with them to add his own guitar/vocals to their own.

The set list featured a range of old favourites, popular singles and new stuff from their latest album. The set list (not in order): Quito (opener), You and Your Memory, Broom People, Dance Music, Maybe Sprout Wings, New Monster Avenue, Magpie, Get Lonely, See American Right, Half Dead, This Year, No Children, The Best Ever Metal Band In Denton, Song for Dennis Brown, a couple of amazing covers (one sang with only John Darnielle's voice, unassisted by microphone).

In short, the best gig I've been to in awhile. I used to kind of like the Mountain Goats, now I'm bordering on obsessive adoration.