Pussy?s Bow/Live In Ireland

Released simultaneously, ?Pussy’s Bow? and ?Live In Ireland? show two different sides of Conway Savage’s caricature-like person, writes RUTH MCIVER.

Although known for his connection with the Bad Seeds, Conway Savage has been a Melbourne fixture for 20-plus years, pursuing his own brand of low-key local and international notoriety. His signature sound is something like honky tonk parlour music, with laconic tones and a unique style of phrasing that rivals Leonard Cohen. Bandmates Amanda Fox and Robert Tickner have forged a shared sound, vision and musical presence with Savage. Savage’s gravelly vocals and emotive playing complements Fox’s raspy vocals and wistful piano accordion and keys. Tickner’s subtle guitar work adds a powerfully spooky texture to what has developed into a moody Australian gothic sound that’s simple and haunting.

Pussy’s Bow, mastered in Dublin and released early in 2010, will be familiar to Melbourne fans from the trio’s standard set list. Although Savage has described the album as ?poppier? than previous releases, the up-beat tempo is a sort of foil; a nod to Savage’s somewhat sinister sense of humour. Honeyed doo-wop harmonies meld into darkly ironic lyrics in percussive opener ?To Be So Lonely?, while ?Friends? combines caustic insights over similarly upbeat harmonies and minimal guitar. Title track ?Pussy’s Bow? is more sparse and whimsical, but it’s the maudlin tracks – ?Trail of Broken Hearts,? ?Beautiful Smile? and the mother lode??Crumbling World? – that are the standout tracks on this release.

?Crumbling World? played live builds to a furious trilling of scales, but on this recording, the partly whispered, partly spoken word epic is entirely devoid of keys, with the exception of the distant defeated hum of an organ. It’s a kind of gorgeous hymn to nihilism. In true Conway fashion, Pussy’s Bow is humbly presented from a simply rendered exterior and artwork, complete with a half handwritten press release. For a man who appears to have not updated his MySpace page since 2006, this is unsurprising.

Live, Savage’s persona verges on caricature, but salvages itself with charm; like a dandy falling down drunk in a Victorian parlour. Onstage he comes off as a relic from a more civilised era, but shatters this illusion with a droll and devious sense of humour and a tendency to get falling down drunk onstage. Bandmates Fox and Tickner never seem phased. Indeed, the lapses in concentration, the mood swings, the symphonic manic flourishing of keys and exercises in intemperance, (ie. exit stage left: carried out by bandmate), are all part of his persona.

?Live, Savage’s persona verges on caricature, but salvages itself with charm; like a dandy falling down drunk in a Victorian parlour.?

On Live in Ireland*, he delivers the best version of himself and the Conway Savage experience. In fact, the climate and culture of Ireland seems to suit the poet in Conway, who’s Joycean bent is evident in the lyrical content of 2000 release *Wrong Man’s Hands. This latest release, recorded live in Country Leitrim, is a kind of toast to Ireland and Irish hospitality. Conway has toured Ireland several times before. The recording is staged on one of the last nights of the 2008 tour, so it’s a lucky (and well behaved) crowd who meets a mellow and reflective Conway, who sounds like he’s charmed the punters by the end of the first song. At one point he invites the entire Irish audience back to stay at his St Kilda home.

The best part about this live CD is the stage banter and Conway’s occasional stuff ups. ?I never said I’d be professional,? he says dryly after a false start following opening track, ?Trail of Broken Hearts,? which he dedicates to his young daughter Gracie.

Playing a wide selection from Quickie for Ducky*, *Pussy’s Bow*, *Wrong Man’s Hands and his self-titled debut, as well as a cover of Willie ?Fucking? Nelson’s ?Night Life?, the disc is a must-have for fans. The live impact of songs like ?Crumblin? World,? ?The Cross? and ?These are The Waves? are transfused to the listener in a near tangible way; moody, atmospheric and emotionally charged.

Conway completes the set, appropriately, with ?Don’t Plan On Leaving Town?. He says he’s sorry to leave Ireland and head back home to brassy old St Kilda. ?I rather like Ireland,? he tells the crowd. ?I rather do.? The feeling is clearly mutual.

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####Live In Ireland and Pussy’s Bow are out now independently.