There is music that makes you think, music to soothe the soul, and music that just makes you feel good. Lime Cordiale, the Griswolds, and Chance Waters all specialise in the latter.
The three artists filled with Northcote Club with cheerful, upbeat indie pop last Thursday night, each putting their own spin on the purposeful production of good vibes. By the end, there wasn’t a still figure in the room.
Lime Cordiale don’t take themselves too seriously. Dipping into surf rock, ska, psychedelia and vocals verging on slam poetry, their live show is a smorgasbord of influences, all tied together into one neat, clean package.
Sharp, poppy guitar lines and tight drumming drove the kind of songs ideal for summer road trips, or ads featuring girls in flower crowns.
Their latest single, ‘Bullshit Aside,’ is a prime example; a burst of dance-y, contagious fun they utilised to close the set.
In between tracks they entertained their audience with genuinely funny banter. “We normally have a trombone player but he wouldn’t fit in the car. Yeah. It’s his birthday today too.”
Don’t be surprised if these strapping young lads are regulars on Triple J sometime in the near future.
The Griswolds live could put Oscar the Grouch in a good mood.
They opened with a bit of kitsch; a 80s-style robot voice deadpanning “be impressive” over and over again. This led into what the Sydney-siders do best – crisp guitar lines, a rolling kick drum, and Christopher Whitehall’s sugar-sweet falsetto.
Songs like ‘Red Tuxedo’ exuded a nostalgic warmth, while boppy little number ‘The Courtship Of Summer Preasley’ was kept afloat by a light bass groove.
“This song’s about shit people!” they announced at one point, before launching into a track that couldn’t possibly sound friendlier.
Seriously. These boys makes “you’re fucking crazy” sound like a compliment.
They closed with the infectiously catchy ‘Heart Of A Lion,’ a whirlwind of tribal beats, positive lyrics, and a sing-along chorus.
Along with these familiar songs were scattered plenty of new offerings. If these equally upbeat, ball-of-fun tracks are indicative of what’s going to be on their debut album, due November, then it doesn’t seem like the Griswolds are going to be losing any momentum.
Chance Waters is one of those people that you instantly like. With a big contagious grin, baggy tropical shirt and daggy dance moves, as well as being endearingly self-deprecating, he radiates effortless charm.
He’s one of a group of artists, like Pez and Seth Sentry, who along with heapings of talent, have made a name for themselves in Aussie hip hop simply be making it feel like they’re your best friend.
He opened with his tight, low-key rendition of Mumford And Son’s ‘Little Lion Man.’
From the beginning, the performing chops of his band were evident: Tom Shorten on guitar, Ben McNulty on bass, and especially Alex Cameron on violin/vocals.
The strings anchored the otherwise fairly light atmosphere of the show, adding texture to the beats, and the conversational flow of Waters’ vocals.
The highlights were the most joyous of his tracks: the ironically optimistic ‘Maybe Tomorrow,’ the happily short-sighted ‘Young and Dumb.’ He even threw in a cover of Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used to Know.’ A risky move, but he came up with a refreshing take on the by now over-familiar song.
Unsurprisingly, but still to the crowd’s delight, the Griswolds popped back onto the stage for the encore song. Titled ‘Bonnie,’ a catchy ode to a sceptical lady, the song will be apparently be on Waters’ next album.
The two artists were a perfect fit; both dedicated to making sure their audience had as much fun as humanely possible.
