Ball Park Music are back and arguably bigger than ever.
To celebrate the release of their third full-length album Puddinghead, the Brisbane boys (and girl) decided to do another tour of Australia. This time, they swapped the huge venues for slightly smaller ones – reducing the space in Adelaide to the (still moderately sizeable) Governor Hindmarsh, a venue that has seen bands such as Last Dinosaurs and The Jungle Giants grace the same stage in recent times.
The band lineup was an indie rock powerhouse, kicking off with local prodigy Jesse Davidson. With his awkward humour, fuzzy hat, and oddly appealing, passionate voice, the Adelaide native easily kept the few hundred early attendees entertained. His music was similar to rock from the early 70s, infused with something onlookers couldn’t quite put their finger on. In reality, Davidson has to be seen to be believed.
Now, everybody knows (or should know, at least) main support Papa Vs. Pretty. From their Heavy Harm EP to their latest album White Deer Park – a Triple J feature album – the Sydneysiders have been tearing up stages and satisfying listeners’ ears since the beginning. This night was no exception. From playing solid tracks such as ‘One Of The Animals’ to lead singles from each of their records, the four-piece were seldom inactive during their 40-minute set.
Dressed up in the most unorthodox gear sourced from local Adelaide op shops – from lovely burgundy dresses to some of the ugliest garments seen on stage – the five members from Ball Park Music strolled into view to a roar of cheers. Taking a more casual approach, lead singer Sam Cromack uttered, “Hey guys, we’re going to start with ‘Literally Baby’.” From then on in, there was a constant stream of hits. ‘She Only Loves Me When I’m There’ followed tracks such as ‘Alligator’, ‘iFly’, and a fair few from Puddinghead.
Much to the crowd’s enjoyment, there were quite a number of live alterations from their studio recordings. ‘Fence Sitter’ began with a very slow, rising tempo instrumentation, and ‘iFly’ had a fantastically funky interlude revolving around 80s styled synthesiser leads.
Even though Ball Park Music had already played for at least an hour, the crowd cheers were enough to bring out the band for an encore – and what an encore it was. The rockers had their unique take on Queen’s ever famous ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – an ambitious choice. Despite this, the band worked wonders with it, with just about the whole crowd singing every single line.
Ball Park Music are known for their incredible live shows, but words simply don’t do them justice. The Brisbane kids really showed Adelaide that they’re one of the most acclaimed and sought after artists in Australia today.
