Windows. Mountains. Trees. Rivers. Love. Devotion. Heart. Beauty. Fire. Air. Moons. Suns. Love. Again. Heart. Again. Again. Again. Breaths stopped. Hearts rendered. Beauty enabled, delivered, sent, expressed. Tumbling out of the mouth of a man intent on doing one thing. Communicate and involve. Involved, enabled. That's is how we all felt Thursday night at Paddington Uniting Church. The music of Mount Eerie hang loosely in the air, before seeping into our skins and delving into our hearts and minds. Quite simply, purely a night I will never forget. Ever.

Those names. Oldham, Mangum. Sometimes Molina. Lately Krug. Names of those people who somehow have the supreme gift to encompass all that drives us. All that inspires us. All that makes us feel. All through the power of song. You just need a voice and a guitar to do it. Well, Phil Elverum I believe belongs in that celestial company. For this humble man behind The Microphones and latterly Mount Eerie is a songwriter of supernatural talent. The man behind "The Glow Pt. 2" was playing his first show on this Australian tour. We sat on the floor of this medium size church. Listening to breaths of beauty. This performance was truly unplugged. Just Phil and an acoustic, playing into a microphone. No lighting, no dramatics. Just song, song, song. He played a combination of new songs and old songs, sometimes really old songs. Each and every song was delivered with pure passion and considered heart.

In fact, I believe the first four songs were all brand new. I certainly was not familiar with them. But they were exquisite, all containing that quiet radiance that Elverum fashions. By the time he played the statuesque "I Felt My Size" I was floating. Pinching myself for the sake of it. To follow with "Stop Singing" was almost causing heart palpitations. Then at this point the singer asked for questions. A brave chap asked if it was possible to hear "The Glow Pt. 2". To everyone's delight our illustrious guest obliged, stating it wasn't planned but he liked to please the audience. However he said he would need to play "I Want To Blow" before it, as that is the only way it would work. We 'relented' and 'let' him play both. Well, ten minutes that are chiseled into the cranium, never leaving, never escaping. The rest of the set was more peaks, more crescendos. "Flaming Home" sent shivers, whilst "I Hold Nothing" was it's stark and beauteous self. I need more adjectives at this point. Then it was over. He politely thanked the audience and went to the back of the church to wait at the merchandise table. A true marvel. A true jewel. He was also so humble and gracious. Speaking quietly, but surely, he was always thanking the audience, whilst also showing that he also possessed a wry sense of humour. As said, he was humbly plying a lone acoustic. A classic guitar, with loose strings, that reverberated and vibrated, blending in beautifully with his fragile and vulnerable voice. The man from Anacortes sings about the nature of life and the life of nature. His words flow and melt, referencing water and air, wood and soil. From these he weaves sonnets of love and loss. Growth and decay. Tonight we stepped into his world, grateful and giving.

Set List*
new song?
Wind Summons
Known World
My Heart Is Not
The Gleam Pt. 2
I Felt My Size
Stop Singing
I Want Wind To Blow
The Glow Pt. 2
Flaming Home
Cold Mountain
My Burning?
I Hold Nothing
Thanksgiving
Buried In Space
new song?

*This set list is a bit sketchy, as Mr Eleverum has a huge arsenal of songs and he appeared to be playing quite a few new ones. Any help is appreciated.

I missed the first support Pikelet, but I caught the second. Lucky Dragons. Never seen anything like it before. Ever. I was entranced, bewitched, confused, delighted. Stupified. This 'band' is Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Rara. They are from Los Angeles, but they exist on another planet. They sat on the floor, in the middle of the audience. Armed with a laptop and various devices to make sounds, they freeformed for 45 minutes. Developing sounds as they went. An organic and electric mixture of sounds. They involved the audience in everything. Magnetic rocks were played, cymbals bashed, microphones passed, hands held and dancing as well, yes dancing. It really is impossible to put properly into words. Suffice to say, it was quite surreal, totally enjoyable and utterly unforgettable.