Crayon Fields Play First Gig in NYC

Fresh-faced, skinny and a little awkward, the four members of the Crayon Fields are deceptively self-aware. Making their New York City debut Tuesday night at Brooklyn's Bruar Falls, the young Aussie rockers covered 'Everybody's Talkin',' the theme from the 1969 film 'Midnight Cowboy,' the ultimate story about visiting the city for the first time.

"Is it the New York Mets?" asked Geoff O'Connor, the band's bespectacled, beanpole of a lead singer, just before launching into the classic song. "I'll dedicate it to that team."

However naïve, O'Connor and company -- in town for a total of four New York shows -- have more going for them than did Joe Buck, Jon Voight's big-galoot character from 'Midnight Cowboy.' Anything but hayseeds, the Crayon Fields are savvy pop craftsmen, '60s revivalists who, on record at least, recall the sweet precision of the Zombies, the band to which they're most often compared.

Live, it's another story. Focusing on tunes from its recently-released sophomore album, the excellent 'All the Pleasures of the World,' the quartet turned in a surprisingly starch-free set, allowing loud, ramshackle guitars and keyboards to overpower O'Connor's honeyed warble.

"We're a noise band," multi-instrumentalist Chris Hung quipped as he fussed with his keyboard, trying to turn down the volume and silence a persistent buzzing. Later, he tried making similar adjustments to his guitar. "This is the biggest amp I've ever played out of," he said. "Sorry if I sound like Slash or something."

Not quite. On such tunes as 'Would It Be So Strange?' which featured taut, delicate four-part harmonies, and the semi-epic 'Lucky Again' -- six gorgeous minutes of gentle jangle and Beach Boys-style sleigh bell -- the band proved plenty capable of recreating the tucked-in feel of its records.

At 11:50, 10 songs and 35 minutes after their prompt 11:15 start, the Fields called it a night, closing with the bubblegum bounce of 'Graceless.' It wasn't quite midnight, but hey, they're not quite cowboys.