Pajama Club

On a chilly winter evening, a sense of intrigue and anticipation gently simmered for an exclusive glimpse of the Pajama Club. Presented as the culmination of sessions between Neil Finn and wife Sharon, the band’s appearance at the Corner Hotel would mark only their fourth ever performance. In an intriguing move, precious little had been made available to suggest the exact direction of the project prior to the gig. Perhaps plagued by curiosity, punters filed into the venue, eager also to witness Neil’s next step in his illustrious career.

First to the Corner stage were Glass Towers, direct from New South Wales. Though the band’s credentials to date appear impressive - having earned a spot on the Splendour In The Grass bill of ‘09 - its still difficult to tag them as a definitive prospect where Australia’s next crop is concerned. Whilst Triple J appears keen to champion the band, it’s more likely that the rest of us will feel less convinced by Glass Towers. Though perfectly accomplished and displaying all the wares of a polished, well-rehearsed outfit, Glass Towers’ insistence upon a sound akin to the dying days of last decade’s post-punk revival does the band a great disservice. It’s definitely a problem for the Byron Bay bunch when any avid music enthusiast can easily recall several key artists of - and even separate from - that mid 00s movement, a range of familiar ideas ultimately colouring Glass Towers’ craft.

Meanwhile, throughout their performance, the absence of that undeniable song emerged and it became difficult to extract too much from the set. Overall, they’re a fun, enthusiastic band but the lack of originality coupled with no stand-out single hurts their standing as a great local band. They do spruik a lot of potential, however, and it’s likely that Glass Towers will grow into their own band to accomplish great things in time.

The Pajama Club would take to the stage, with Neil immediately stationed at a microkorg to indulge in a bout of electronic wizardry. His initial departure from the familiarity of a guitar emerged as the first clues that a radical departure was about to unfold. With synthesisers swelling and breaking, Sharon’s bass grunting methodically to forge an irresistible groove, the Pajama Club was, in a sense, as promised: something completely different. The new project resembles none of Neil’s more notable achievements, at best drawing elements from solo endeavours, Try Whistling This and One Nil, to find a happy middle. Even this notion, however, feels insufficient in describing Neil’s latest renaissance, particularly given the set’s entertaining and consistently eccentric nature. Presenting an intriguing blend of pop, rock, funk and electronica, the Pajama Club were joyously difficult to predict.

Diversity underscores their craft, the band offering everything from grimy, seductive rockers (Dead Leg) to tender intimacy (Golden Child). In what must surely have been a treat for fans, Suffer Never - a Finn Brothers classic - made a rare appearance before eventually melting into a cover of Gary Numan’s Are Friends Electric?. Despite the fluid exercise chopping and changing, the Pajama Club’s near-flawless execution remained the one constant throughout the set. Neil remains utterly brilliant, an adept and underrated musician across a variety of instruments with a vocal expertise that has seemingly endured despite his years. The audience were even treated to stint on drums and a short-lived drum solo, a cute highlight of the evening.

Sharon, in playing just her fourth ever show before an audience, displayed her green talents, cutting the figure of a tireless bassist whilst appearing a natural fit within the spotlight. Alana Skyring made a return to Melbourne as enthusiastic and fun-loving as ever, embracing a significant departure from the stylistic demands of her past work with The Grates. Meanwhile, Sean Donnelly proved a key ingredient in the mix, the accomplished multi-instrumentalist filling roles as required and adding significant keyed and vocal components. For a group having only recently embarked on their first tour, the Pajama Club are a deftly cohesive unit, indulging in an impressive showcase of skills. Fittingly, the evening's encore saw Neil and Sharon team up for Little By Little, a song that featured on the recent 7 Worlds Collide compilation.

Ultimately, the Pajama Club’s fourth ever show could be considered nothing less than a success. It accomplished precisely the thing that they would have hoped: not only are the songs from their forthcoming album out in the ether, their renditions also ignited much intrigue for said studio work. With such diversity in effect, it’s likely that, for most in attendance, such a tiny taste of the Pajama Club proved a hit-and-miss exercise. With so much to take in with so little time, the Corner were forced to hold onto any gem they could, the evening emerging as a drive-by set of sporadic reward begging further investigation. Neil Finn’s latest project is a curious beast indeed with a refreshing sense of moxie and a few gems in tow. Clearly, the resultant album could well make one hell of a splash. Watch this space.

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