Los Angeles – For someone that was essentially making his first ever live appearance in the United States, Fraser A. Gorman had an incredible sense of serenity on stage last Tuesday evening; he nailed every song in his set, even ad-libbing during an awkward moment after not one, but two of his guitar strings snapped during a particularly raucous breakdown. A product of the vibrant Melbourne, Australia underground music scene, Gorman has a magnetic and earnest aw-shucks attitude to performing, and he quickly connected with the audience at the Bootleg Theater in Central Los Angeles.
It’s clear that Gorman is made for the stage: His soft-spoken, sorta-unsure, and kinda-stuttering cadence off stage completely disappears when he is performing the songs from his early singles and debut LP, Slow Gum. And despite owning a less-than commanding speaking tone, his between-song storytelling ability is better than the vast majority of performers; he peppered the 10-song set with humorous anecdotes about the songs, his first experience in Los Angeles, and nuggets from his personal life.
The set began with Gorman alone on stage, introducing the first song and lead-off from Slow Gum, “Big Old World”. Prior to strumming through the simple folk-pop ditty, he told the audience how appropriate he felt playing the song. Upon arrival in the States that very morning, he was able to visit the Griffith Observatory. Towering above Los Angeles the art-deco landmark offers panoramic vistas of the sprawling megacity, leaving him feeling “on top of the world.” Later he told the audience about his brand new shirt, a vintage-looking Velvet Underground tee that he proudly purchased at big old Amoeba Records in Hollywood. Considering he is often compared to VU’s ringleader, Lou Reed, it was a pretty appropriate choice.
“Somebody told me I look very LA,” he went on, laughing as he tuned up his Fender Jaguar between songs. “I told them thanks, I feel right at home! I figured that meant I looked cool, because everyone in LA is cool.” That last bit might not quite be on the nose, but everyone in the room at the Bootleg certainly felt cooler for having seen his energetic, thought-provoking, and most importantly, fun live set.
He continued the performance with two more stand outs from Slow Gum, “Never Gonna Hold You (Like I Do)” and “Broken Hands”. The next song in his set contained the aforementioned string-snapping breakdown, requiring drummer Andy Thompson to head backstage for a restringing, leaving just Gorman and bassist James Fleming up on stage. Instead of taking five, Gorman asked for a D note from his band mate and launched into an acapella rendition of the traditional blues standard “Bald Headed Woman” (also recorded and released by The Kinks and The Who back in the 60’s). It might have been impromptu, but it may have been the highlight of the night, showing just how talented this kid from “down under” really is.
In their recorded versions, Gorman’s songs are given added depth through instrumental accouterments like violins, trumpets, slide guitars, and myriad others. Touring as a three piece obviously has its limitations – the band couldn’t possibly find enough players in each city to fill out the record’s rich dynamics. Instead, many of the songs were given a second life with more of a rock ‘n roll base, at times completely forgoing the Americana sound heard on Slow Gum. Adding in a cover of Wilco’s “Passenger Side” showed that Gorman has as much appreciation for contemporary artists as he does for the classics – though at 20 years old, perhaps Wilco’s A.M. isn’t quite “contemporary” anymore!
It is a testament to the quality of Slow Gum that Gorman was able to save the album’s two singles for the finale and still captivate an audience from the first note to the last. On record, “Book of Love” has moments that veer dangerously close to cheesy Jack Johnson territory; live, it sheds that easy-listening vibe and goes straight for Lou Reed-style quirk pop. The band closed with “Shiny Gun”, its sing-along chorus of “Now I’m on the run / I shoot my love with a shiny gun” the perfect way to usher the concert-goers into the warm Los Angeles night.
Fraser A. Gorman continues his run of US dates with appearances in Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and New York City. Following his appearance here in the States, he heads across the Atlantic for shows in the UK and the rest of Europe. Check out his Facebook for tickets and information.
Fraser A. Gorman photo by Matt Matasci
Matt Matasci
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