Concert Review: Brave Caitlin Smith’s Imaginary Band, Anthology Lounge, 4 November 2020

Final act of The Odyssey as Caitlin Smith with The Imaginary Band has finally reached her destination triumphant. Looking serpentine and sensual, delivering a powerful and emotional night of music. Seduction and solace. Emotional with bolts of lightning.

Halted abruptly almost three months ago on the eve of performance by the malevolent spirit investing the world this year. It is a triumph for Caitlin, for everyone privileged to be gathered in the Anthology Lounge tonight.

The Band is stellar. Many from the session musicians who play on the You Have Reached Your Destination album. Played in its entirety tonight and given a rousing launch.

Roll call. Kevin Field piano, Dixon Nacey guitars, Jono Sawyer drums, Aaron Codell electric and acoustic bass, Alan Brown keyboards, Paul Symon pedal steel, slide guitar and vocals, Callie Blood and Chelsea Prastiti vocals. Also, Nigel Gavin guitar cameo on a few songs.

The album is a journey and played in the same order tonight. Grand Companion lays out the intention. Sultry and smooth and feels empowered tonight.

The tablas are reproduced with hands on the snare drum for A Little Birdie. Funk Jazz rhythmic drive from the bass. The bird flies. The singer taking off and soaring on the high notes. The energy of a Succubus.

Live performance at its finest can be the transmission of magic and transformational energy. Personal experience, pain and suffering, ecstasy and blood, anger and sadness all goes into the cauldron from which that Spirit called Music arises. William Burroughs recognised it. Jimmy Page has talked of the responsibility he felt to the audience, with the appetites that can be unleashed.

Caitlin tonight is charged. Dancing with a fiery spirit, at times coy but mostly sexy. Also, raw and vulnerable. A mesmerising and masterful performance in the end. You are invited in and thrilled. If you’re dialled in.

Fade Into the Sun is a fast-moving steed of a song tonight as the band takes off with this one, bass leading. The singers fly straight to spiritual energy before finally floating down slowly to settle.

Prayer For a Miracle is a great Gospel song. Raw and emotional and carries some pain. The singer can break just like a little girl. But with the voices combined the song becomes uplifting and celestial.

White Satin Dress is a great Pop tune with a beautiful rolling and tumbling down a sunny hill melody. Nice slide guitar. Vocals get buried a bit in the mix.

The room or the sound is not the most sympathetic to softer nuanced music.

Held Like a Baby. The piano weeps. But the singers gently roll with this and caress warmth and energy out.

With Tug of War, Caitlin talks about deep listening. There are those things which need to be confronted and the boldness to do it. The potential tragedy of music streaming. The craft of song-writing. What Art means when it is diminished through loss of caring. What it means to be blind and face the world. Then it’s all swallowed up and blown away with a super-charged version of this song. Swirling keyboards, extended Jazz as the band cook and simmer. The singer promises not to bite.

This is the Creative Jazz Club so there will be most in sympathy with this.

Safe and Sound is comforting Pop to soft Jazz. Moves to depths and the high peaks once the shackles are broken and voices generate hot spirit.

Two songs with Caitlin on piano. Petty Cash is an acerbic strut. Rhythm’n’Blues heading to Stax territory with Booker T keyboards and Al Jackson drum accents.

Then on Such a Waste with just piano and voice. Phrasing like Ray Charles in his latter days. Rawness and tenderness. Conjured at will.

More witchery. Dissonance from the piano. Invocations, spooky tones and in the end strong and empowering. That is Another Good Bye.

A fantastic amount of spirit, energy and craft from the stage tonight. Caitlin looks drained but she put it all out there. What is out there we now have to walk out and confront.

Rev Orange Peel

Note: Caitlin Smith and Band have a Sunday afternoon residency at the Flame Bar at SkyCity Casino.