Review by Katrina Couzens of I don’t want to; Why should I? presented by Indy Clark and Ben Marshall
Indy’s music is the self-described product of a mid-life crisis—an attempt at something new, and an expression of both frustration and nostalgia. The music itself didn’t grab me, sitting within a band of melancholy that, while not unpleasant, is not something I would generally seek out and focus on. Though I did enjoy the wistful energy of Neither here, Nor there.
Ben Marshall’s cello performance is what takes these pieces from background texture to something worth the attention of a concert. Easy-listening is so dominated by guitar, piano, and voice that the presence of another timbre is immediately elevating. The fact that Indy went to great lengths to find a cellist to work with is something I really appreciate. If this collaboration leads to more cross-pollination between songwriters and instrumentalists, and brings instruments that tend to get less limelight into common spaces, I think Brisbane will benefit.
Indy himself is a charismatic presenter with a fun sense of humour. Though his music wasn’t of my own taste, and his piano skills need a bit of work (but I appreciate the challenge of taking up a new instrument), his explanations for how his songs came about, along with the occasional pun or tangent, carried me through the afternoon.
