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<\/center>Karl Wallinger<\/strong> is the prime mover of World Party<\/strong>; at various points in the group’s nearly thirty-year history WP has been Wallinger and\/or one to several additional players. The one constant throughout (five albums of original material, a couple of compilations, and Arkeology<\/em><\/a>, a five-disc set of previously unreleased odds and sods that plays as well as a new album) has been Wallinger and his highly melodic, hook-laden songs plus the man’s winning, engaging persona.<\/p>\nFor World Party’s current US tour \u2013 the second or third since Wallinger’s recovery from an aneurysm that left him needing to re-learn how to play guitar \u2013 the group is a trio: Wallinger on (amplified) acoustic guitar and piano, plus longtime associates David Duffy<\/strong> (violin) and Right out of the gate, the trio sought to please the audience (well-attended but not a capacity crowd). Over the course of a couple of hours, they bounced back and forth through World Party’s back catalog, picking and choosing the best from among a vast array of gems. Arguably the group’s finest effort (but sadly the one that fared the poorest in the marketplace, owing to circumstances beyond Wallinger’s control: the label went under), Egyptology<\/em> provided four tunes for this night’s set.<\/p>\n And though the trio has no rhythm section (bass and drums), surprisingly, that instrumentation wasn’t missed. While Wallinger provided expressive rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Duffy and Powell managed to deliver every signature lick and hook of the original studio arrangements. While Powell recreated his leads (that’s him on a lot of the studio cuts, especially the later material) Duffy in particular did a great job of evoking the feel of the original arrangements with his fiddle, while helping to give the songs an even more warm and intimate vibe.<\/p>\nTristan Powell<\/del> John Turnbull<\/strong> (Gibson Les Paul). All three sing beautifully.<\/p>\n