December 2009, 40 Watt, Atlanta, Ga.
It was a telling moment during the encore when Tracyanne Campbell, the lead singer for the brilliant Scottish band Camera Obscura, added an extra flourish to the refrain of “Let’s Get Out of This Country”. With a big wave and look to her band, Campbell and mates were on the road for a while and we’re just ready to go home.
Camera Obscura’s show was technically superb — clearly the band knows this material well and played varied selections from its collection perfectly. Mostly playing songs from 2006 release Let’s Get Out of This Country and its wonderful 2009 release My Maudlin Career, it’s obvious the band writes some of the catchiest songs by any band anywhere. Campbell’s voice is clean and fluid, Kenny McKeeve’s guitar is exact and fun, while Lee Thomson keeps it all organized behind the kit.
No, the problem on this night was not the songs themselves. The band looked weary, almost resigned to another night in another place (though Campbell did remark how much she loved the Christmas parade and the BLT’s at Clocked), and this wasn’t helped by a glaring number of people in the crowd more interested in chatting around the bar than watching a pop-perfect performance. This is not new at the 40 Watt and Athens in general — too often you find people go to shows to say they went rather than being there to actually see the band. This is most evident when Campbell and McKeeve asked the crowd to pipe down before a quiet number midway through. While there was some compliance, there was still a noticeable din throughout despite people hushing others.
To the band’s credit, they ended with a nice push, easing through “French Navy,” “Lloyd I’m Ready to be Heartbroken” and “Let’s Get Out of This Country” with verve and aplomb. I think as they got closer to the end of the set, they felt the release of having a tour finish and the thought of home come in full focus.
Here’s hoping they come back again, maybe at the start of the tour. Either way, it will be a show certainly worth listening to.
