Black Keys at the Kings Arms

Black Keys'Dan Auerbach (front) and Pat Carney.

Two people holding a crowd. One on drums and the other a guitar player, singer and showman. What a sight.

The Black Keys, the Ohio duo of Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney, rolled into town and were quietly blown away by the response from a sold-out Kings Arms on Monday night. They said there were no door sales, though a guy from Taranaki, with a broken little toe, managed to wangle his way in the door.

They came from all over - Wellington, Hamilton, and the 'Naki. They weren't going to miss this gig.

The 'Naki boys had heard about the Black Keys after the White Stripes show at the St James a couple of years ago and thought they'd check them out. One of them had even been prepared to fly to Sydney to see them if they didn't come here.

Before the Black Keys, the Fiery Furnaces were annoying, but intriguing. When they jammed and tripped they were great, but the rapping-cum-ranting of Eleanor Friedberger was a bit too much. When she sang, it was heaven, because that is one unique voice.

As casual as the Black Keys are when they come on stage, the intensity is there from the first smack of Pat Carney's drum kit.

Auerbach is constantly praising his drummer mate, who looks tired. But Carney's just foxing. Whenever there's a chance to snap a song back into fashion he's there with a crash of a cymbal.

Meanwhile, Auerbach's hair is slowly but surely separating into sweaty strands as he follows his fingers up the frets with a head-banging, yet bluesy thrash. Then there's his voice. It is so ashtray-like, yet so pure.

How a boy from Ohio can sing like that is beyond the realms of possibility. But he knows he's got it - and so does the chick who takes to the stage - and he lets us have it.

Hearing songs like Set You Free, from their 2003 album Thickfreakness, live at the local pub makes you appreciate how the Black Keys make music. They make it up on the spot and it sounds lived in, well-worn and hot.

Performance

*Who: The Black Keys
*Where: Kings Arms
*Reviewer: Scott Kara