There are many words one could use to describe an artist as compelling as Kirin J Callinan. The terms ‘controversial’ and ‘confronting’ seem to get thrown around a lot and after watching his show at Jive on Friday night I’m going to go with chameleon. Last time I saw Callinan he was playing to a sold out crowd at the Tote, he amped up the theatrics, damn near made me pass out with an intense strobe display and left me questioning exactly what it was I had just witnessed. This time around there were no such antics, just a man and his band doing an amazing job of interpreting the tracks from Embracism live.
Callinan was almost unrecognisable wearing bright red socks and sandals with an oversized bogan jacket, cap and sunnies inside. He quickly shirked the outfit, and later on in the set his shirt, which seemed to delight the fans who’d ventured into the city to see him play. Callinan is a gifted performer. He has a strong presence and posesses and innate ability to draw you into his world; which is always an exhilarating ride. He happily engaged with the heckler chick in the crowd who simply couldn’t stop herself from shouting out her observations between songs and when he and the band played, they played with such a furious energy that the music took on a life of its own with the menacing bass in “Halo” seeming to pusle right through my veins.
Callinan put on a very enjoyable show. He’s the kind of artist who never plays a song the same way twice and is always unpredictable. The confident face of his stage persona isn’t quite strong enough to mask the fragility that teeters beneath the surface and it’s this emotional honesty which makes his shows such an interesting experience to be a part of. Thanks for the good times Kirin J. I look forward to seeing where the music takes you next.
