Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks @ Parkteatret 11.06.19

A guitar god, the sultan of slack, front man of one of the best bands of all time. Stephen Malkmus has won many accolades, and rightly so. On Tuesday night, the tour promoting his critically acclaimed Sparkle Hard LP released last summer finally made its way to Oslo.

The crowd at Parkteatret was surprisingly thin before Stephen Malkmus and his touring band The Jicks took to the stage. Perhaps that’s due to the ageing cohort of Malkmus’ most devoted fans not being able to escape the house on a weeknight. His heyday with Pavement around the mid-nineties puts most of them in their late 30s and 40s now. Perhaps it’s also due to the surprisingly high ticket prices putting some potential punters off . 405 NOK for a mid-sized venue! Or maybe I’m getting old too.

A great sound after a bad start

The show doesn’t start well. Stephen immediately snatches the microphone from its stand and apparently damages its lead in the process. Cue two extra minutes of technical assistance trying to fix the mic whilst Stephen makes small talk with the audience. The band eventually launch into the slow-building opening track from Sparkle Hard, «Cast Off». They continue with the more up-tempo head-nodder «Bike Lane» also from the new LP.

The sound is great, and when they really get going the band is as captivating as any. A great example comes from the excellent «Witch Mountain Bridge» from 2003 album Pig Lib with an extended mid-song jam that shows off Malkmus’s entertaining and playful guitar work. Other parts are more subdued, often in a good way like the lovely «Middle America» from Sparkle Hard. With little audience interaction some parts are maybe a little underwhelming for those who aren’t die hard fans of the entire Malkmus back catalogue.

Best saved for last

Whether it’s as part of Pavement or The Jicks, Malkmus is known for his slack style, sounding like the whole thing might fall apart at any moment. Tonight’s show is no exception, to the point that it’s almost surprising how sloppily the band transition between songs. On occasion, it feels like you’re witnessing a band rehearsal rather than a polished show.

After just over an hour the band leave the stage. Leaving with pre-warning the crowd not to leave too soon: “We always do an encore. You don’t even have to clap. In fact you don’t even have to stay”.  The best is left for last. The encore begins with a great stripped-back keyboard version of «Freeze the Saints» from the early Malkmus solo album Face the Truth. It’s followed by one of Malkmus’s most radio-friendly tracks «Lariat», which was requested from the crowd and sees the biggest response of the night.

It will be interesting to see if the recently announced Pavement reformation for next year’s Prima Vera festivals will see a more slick show to please the much larger crowds that typically attends shows by The Jicks. Tonight’s show might not have done much to win over the non-converted, but devoted fans will leave as happy as always.