The East Pointers are folk legends. Anyone who’s been to Woodford (i.e. not me) has heard their name flung about, usually accompanied by gushing over how good they are. I finally got to cure my FOMO with their recent gig at the Toff.
Supported by Hobart duo Tash & Emma, (who got together because of the impressiveness of their combined hair, but are supported by the beauty of their harmonies), and hectic 10 piece folk outfit The Northern Folk – orientation-themed folk music is my new favourite thing.
I’m eager to see The Northern Folk headline their own show, as they ooze so much energy along with amazing skills. Every instrumentalist was intimidatingly talented, and the vocals and lyrics were effortless and enchanting.
The East Pointers seemed small after seeing 10 people on the stage, but once the three started playing, they filled the entire room. I have never in my life seen the Toff turn into a folkie mosh pit, but that’s the night we had. Swinging from a capella around a single microphone to a flawless reel or seven, no two songs were the same. When lyrics were present, they were beautiful and heartfelt, singing about Canada (where they hail from) and Woodford (where one member met his now-wife).
Half of being a great folk muso is nailing the banter component — I’d wager half the crowd had seen the band before, so the comfort levels were high, and the boys from the East Pointers had a tale for every situation, describing the meanings of songs or joking about their tiny home town and the high percentage of occupants there that were their first cousins.
When I walked into the Toff that night, I was slightly hungover and low energy. By the end I was at the front jump-dancing to world-class music and screaming for an encore. This, my friends, is the power of The East Pointers.
– Jasmin
Jasmin Ashton is a word nerd and marketer/designer from Melbourne who has a lot of feelings about everything.
For more of The East Pointers, visit www.eastpointers.ca and follow them on Facebook.
