The Tiger and Me

Date of Review: 4th September 2010

CABARET POP

4 stars

IT'S not necessarily the most scientific method going, but regular playings in my household of Oh My Darlin', the opening track of the Tiger & Me's From a Liar to a Thief, have had a 100 per cent strike rate in stopping visitors dead in their tracks. In a good way. Swaggering yet moody, and darkly playful in its interplay between singers Ade Vincent and Jane Hendry, it's a dangerously catchy opener. It's billed as "pop music as seen through the looking glass of European folk songs", though that just starts to give you an inkling of what's going on in the hands of this Melbourne band. Fuelled by accordion, mandolin, ukelele, banjo, piano, harmonica and lashings of brass, From a Liar blossoms out from the ever-widening umbrella of Gypsy (via the neighbouring brollies of cabaret, jazz and bluegrass), throwing you with abandon into a world of harlots, candlelit bars, wine fountains, wolves and clowns. As fun as it all is, the Tiger & Me is a band of emotional breadth and it shifts effortlessly through the gears from brass- bright exuberance on Big Trapeze, ambivalent, Gypsyish energy on Lead a Merry Dance Around the Fire and a delicate-to-the-point-of delicious sombreness on Dangerous Creatures. But it's to the sound of I Left The Wolves Behind that Night that it would be lovely to plough into a lake of claret on a unicycle. Though that could just be me.

James Jeffrey - The Australian

Melbourne six-piece, The Tiger & Me, release a spellbinding pop/folk EP, The Howling Fire(2011), that encapsulates the spirit of dancing gypsies and dark storytelling. It’s one of three bewitching EPs to be released this year.

The title track “So Let It Go” is a pop/folk sing-a-along and it’s catchy in it’s own right. But the rest of the tracks are under-estimated if you were to judge the EP on that one track, because there are some foot-stompin’ gems on this alluring and simply captivating EP.

I wanted to say that “So Let It Go” reminded me of the Beatles but I might as well say every pop/folk band sounds like them if they have harmonies and guitar. Tiger & Me can’t be put into the same group as they aren’t just any band. Although this track may be more digestible to the general public it does downplay the bands skills. The arrangement, However, gives us some insight into the dynamics of the band.

“Don’t You Just Set The World Alight” is a beautifully written song with elements of light and dark, hypnotic sections and soaring vocals that give this track so much dimension. It’s the storytelling that wins me over in this track, no doubt about that.

Their strengths seem to lie in the tracks “Tango” and “June”. “Tango” is a feverish gypsy/swing chant. The dynamics between the musicians is electrical. Boasting three lead vocalist, they seem to be able to reach new heights in each song.
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“June” has a bluesy-folk feel, along the lines of Mumford & Sons. Again, great lyrics here. The banjo featured in the song fills in the spaces with jangly and melodic hooks.

Their last track on the EP, “The Little And The Lost” is probably the darkest song featured. It’s sweeping sincerity reminds me of Damien Rice‘s O (2002). However, The Tiger & Me‘s heart-thumping dynamics is entirely their own. - The Orange Press

Arriving to an absolutely jam-packed gig room at The Toff a mere 45 minutes after doors open, it was both surprising and unfortunate to realise that both of the support acts for the night, Sal Kimber and The Rolling Wheel, had already come and gone. They must have done a decent job, because the crowd was in high spirits. Not even the chaotic bar queue, the lack of fresh air, or the always-frantic sound guy bowling people over appeared to be bothering anyone. With a somewhat larger crowd than is usually found at The Toff, the room became more and more sardine can-like with each person that came through the doors. Everyone jostled for position for the next half an hour before the curtains quietly pulled back, and The Tiger and Me ever-so-calmly began their set.

Starting with a slow but powerful opener, it immediately became clear that The Tiger and Me’s sound is simply made for performing live. There’s no denying that the recordings are great, and all of the songs are beautifully crafted, but it’s not until you see them unfold on stage that you begin to truly appreciate the talent and passion these guys have – right down to their colour-coordinated dress-code. With a subtle mix of black, white, and red silk adorning each member, mood-capturing lighting, and a thoughtfully structured setlist, the Melbourne sextet really created an atmosphere, a setting for their music, as opposed to just throwing on some jeans and pushing their songs out.

There are two things that make The Tiger and Me one of the more unique bands around at the moment. The first is the fact that they have three singers – Jane, Ade and Tobias – each of whom write their own songs, and each of whom play their own instruments (violin/piano/banjo/ukulele/accordion). Of course, there is still the bass (*Tim*), drums (*Sarah*), and electric guitar (*Fez*), just to round things off. This means that they are a band with not only a great amount of talent, but diverse talent at that, which brings us to the second unique trait – their sound. Because of the diversity of styles and instruments, The Tiger and Me showcase a hybridised genre all of their own, which is probably why they’ve been described as everything from indie-pop, to circus-cabaret, to Euro-folk. Switching effortlessly between these varying singers, styles, and tempos resulted in a set that was totally unpredictable, but consistently impressive.

Being the launch show for their Howling Fire EP (the first in a 3-part series), the band excitedly introduced their new material, but also played a delectable mix of tracks from their two previous EP’s and last years acclaimed album From A Liar To A Thief.

There were gentle moments in Dangerous Creatures and I Left The Wolves Behind That Night, and loud, big-band moments in Don’t You Just Set the World Alight and Tango. There were stories of Ade’s fascination with spies and the TV show Spooks; the time that on Jane’s instruction, The Tiger and Me “ate” fellow band Half-Cut Thief and stole half their songs; and Tobias’ sheepish admission that he’d been writing songs about break-ups since before he’d even been in a relationship. The band laughed together after songs like So, Let It Go, amused by how much fun they were having playing the new songs. And then there were the stand-out moments courtesy of some very special guest performers. The hauntingly eerie music-box duet of Jane and Kel Day was a highlight, made evident by the deafening applause that came after it. Tango brought us a talented young trombone-player who is about to embark on an overseas trip to further her music studies (although her name was sadly lost in the noise of the crowd). Don’t You Just Set the World Alight featured Liam McGorry from Eagle & The Worm on trumpet, a match apparently quite desirable to TT&M as they said they were contemplating “not giving him back”. Then there was Little and Lost, which saw three traditional Japanese Tao drummers come out to recreate and emphasise the song’s heart-pounding beat, leaving everyone a little blown away.

As I made my way to the back of the crowd for the last song, Oh My Darlin’, I realised just how wide The Tiger & Me’s reach is. There were sixty-something year-old ladies, there were young indie-kids, there were middle-aged mamas- even a guy sporting flowing dreadlocks and an accompanying rasta beanie. It just goes to show that no matter what music you make, as long as you make it well (and perform it well), it will bring people together, and it will bring them in droves!

At one point in the night, Ade was talking about the first time the band had played live, and how he’d read an absolutely crushing review of their performance afterwards. He said that even though he’d really taken it to heart at first, it wasn’t long before he realised that as long as they believed in themselves and their music, it didn’t matter what one person thought. And so they persevered. It was a beautiful sentiment for both the room full of people that I’m sure were mighty glad they stuck around, and for the band who I’m sure will be reading only good reviews from hereon out. Well done tigers – it’s full marks from this reviewer.
- Faster Louder

The Howling Fire is the latest release from Victorian indie pop outfit The Tiger And Me, an EP billed as the first of a series of separate releases, all of which are set to “explore a descent into madness, the ensuing struggle, and ultimate embrace of insanity.” It sounds like dramatic stuff, but the opening track So, Let It Go is surprisingly upbeat, reminiscent of Grizzly Bear’s more light-hearted material, building up and shifting dynamics amidst bright pianos and vocal harmonies. A slightly sombre mood is then delved into on the blues-y Don’t You Just Set The World Alight and the Latin-infused Tango, but it’s the musical abilities of the band that really make you take notice. With six members all playing a range of instruments including banjos, accordions and ukuleles, it’s an intriguing listen and only fuels anticipation for what will come next in this ambitious musical adventure of theirs.

STEVE RAE
TUESDAY, 25 OCTOBER 2011 - Rave Magazine

Even in the midst of a torrential downpour, a large crowd gathered in the band room refusing to let the miserable weather dampen their enthusiasm for the music. First up was solo act Kikuyu a.k.a Sez Wilks who you may have already seen playing keys in Aleks & The Ramps. Her solo shows are far more impressive with her cutesy lo-fi stylings being well received by the audience. Kikuyu plays minimalist pop with live vocal looping that made for a heavenly listening experience. In particular her cover of Phil Collins “Sussudio” was fantastic and she’s definitely an act worth keeping an eye on.

The Tiger & Me have come a long way since I saw them launching their “Big Trapeze” single at the Curtin band room many moons ago. They showed the darker side of their nature with their new material that shies away from their big band cabaret sound and is a far more sombre affair, as front man Ade Vincent explained “tonight we present the Silent City which represents the struggling and the reflections of us losing our collective minds”. Fortunately for all who were present The Tiger & Me do poignant, quiet moments very well with Vincent’s, Jane Hendry’s and Tobias Selkirk’s split vocals sounding amazing onstage.

Highlights included stunning renditions of “I Left The Wolves”, ‘The Sunrise” and their new single “The Smoke”. The band ended the evening on a high as they indulged in a frenzied performance of “Tango” and “Oh My Darling” before bidding us all a fond farewell. The Tiger & Me are a versatile group and their emotive sounds will tug at your heart strings while leaving you sweaty and begging for more of their raucous onstage antics. They are grand performers who need to be experienced live and The Silent City EP launch was a very fun affair. - The AU Review

The Tiger and Me blew me away with their last double A-side single “So Let It Go/The Little and Lost,” so I was thrilled to see what they’d serve up next. “The Smoke” is the latest helping from the band, an exquisite folky number that’s perhaps even better than their last offering.

The song comes from The Silent City, the second in a trilogy of recordings produced by Tasmanian composer Myles Mumford. The song builds so beautifully, from its stripped back twin harmonies to a lush sound featuring piano and horns. There’s a lot going on, but that intricacy never gets overwhelming.

Needless to say, I’m floored. That third EP can’t come soon enough; I need to hear more from The Tiger and Me. The Silent City hits the shelves of good record stores today. - Sounds of Oz

Melbourne's the Tiger and Me were in danger of having their soft folk-pop drowned out by chatter, but thankfully they were arresting enough to keep the attention of most in the room. Elements of country rub up against a cabaret feel and some Gypsyish tendencies. Accessible but esoteric enough to still stand out. BB

Rating: NNNN

http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/story.cfm?content=163621 - NOW MAGAZINE, Toronto

Openers The Tiger and Me, a cute romantic and musical couple, delivered a very charming set of spare, violin-laced cabaret-pop that was reminiscent of Sarah Slean. Their songs were sweet if unremarkable, but where the duo really clicked was in their stage presence: they were savvy enough to realize that their style of music required a healthy dose of storytelling, and struck the right balance between grounded and theatrical.

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/blog/NXNE08/2008/06/capping_it_off.html - CBC (Canada)

Often folk fans are regarded as not sceptical enough of the music that’s dished up to them, with the view that a few burnt lentils amongst a yellow dhal is still pretty hip. The Tiger and Me’ s duo of Adrian Vincent and Jane Hendry are definitely not that crusty lentil, but have not quite reached folk dhal perfection yet.

The opening track, Alleyway is the best, reminiscent of past comforts with soft acoustics backed by jazz lounge keys, the vocals sweep from Adrian and Jane in tandem then solo, then back again. The constant changing seems as confusing as the US Presidential campaign, but ultimately this layered texture reveals an entwined and tight partnership. The Forsaken Few and Murderer in Uniform fly the album on towards the Paul Kelly/george airstrip, concentrating on a tightly compact and generally profound set of lyrics. Wisdom, “lost you in your apathy, finding some way to get back home,” and brutal honesty, “I feel like a murderer in uniform, dressed to compliment the day,” are common themes.

A surgeon’s blade surprisingly intersects the album half way through as themes and consistent styles change. Elephant, a live looped circus act enters, with an amalgamation of fizzy potty poo poo sound effects and plodding elephant foot steps, making it hard to know what circus tent you’ve entered! It’s a novel attempt at something more upbeat but still seems a wacky choice. Back for Good is a weaker track through it’s less refined lyrics, “you left a letter that told me you just didn’t care, I spent days crying”. The grand finale, Waltz #1 is a tango infused tune with some crafty violin work taking you back to School Prom dance lessons fox trotting around spotty faced and innocent.

The Tiger and Me debut EP is very enjoyable but it’s no masterpiece by way of its inconsistency. In essence it shows a band that can become something special with continuation. Having already had triple j airplay, upcoming international tours and an album release later this year, it appears that folk fans will be enjoying more Tiger and Me dhal for some time to come.

SHANE P BENNETT - Beat Magazine

This folk/country acoustic duo “The Tiger and Me” has compiled a creative album while utilizing simplistic instruments with this self-titled CD. The vocals are sung with pure and simple qualities with velvety harmonies bringing together the collection of songs on the album. “Alleyway” is bluesy, with a slow, easy moving drum beat. As a variation in instruments, take note how the electric piano changes to acoustic piano throughout this song. As a change of tempo “Forsaken Few” has a nice country swing while the lyrics tells an interesting story. Split lead vocals on the verses showcase how these impressive lyrics are interpreted. A round effect is heard when a vocal drum beat starts. A chanting, low, walking bass line begins the cut “The Elephant.” It is a well produced track as each part can be heard separately while fusing together with syncopated harmonies and rhythms. If you like a little folk music entwined with a little country beat you will not be disappointed when you hear the album “The Tiger and Me.” - RadioIndy.com