Edging along Little Bourke Street among dancing dragons and the sharp pop of firecrackers celebrating Chinese New year, it becomes clear that this Saturday night is going to be a busy one.
Trading the dragons and firecrackers for bands and beers, Ding Dong Lounge is just as busy. Jubilant punters do their best to cram their way into the filled-to-capacity bandroom.
Collarbones are the curiosity of the evening. Very hip, very now and very difficult to pin down, the duo composed of singer Marcus Whale and beat man Travis Cook draw a fair share of bemused looks from early comers.
The aforementioned bemused looks rapidly fade once Whale begins to wail. The serving up of smooth, Frank Ocean and Daniel Merriweather-esque vocals over shuddering, chainsawed apart and somehow stitched back together samples is unexpectedly delicious.
Collarbones manage to create their own beautiful freak of a musical hybrid, bringing together dark pop, R&B and warped house beats. As a result, the audience of previously slack-jawed gawkers quickly begin to grind harder than your local butcher on mince night.
Gaining a strong following since the release of 2010 debut Gold On Gold, Melbourne’s Clubfeet are back home to release their sophomore offering Heirs And Graces.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this, a sold out show in our home town”, breathes lead sing Sebastian Cohen before opening with “Cape Town”. From the get-go, the vibe is pure synth disco and punters bump into each other while trying in vain to pull shapes.
Washed over with summery projections, the band paddle back into Gold On Gold territory with the somewhat more subdued but still catchy “Edge Of Extremes”. Lapping up the warm welcome from their hometown, a triumphant Cohen treats the crowd to the calypso-hued “Get Loose”, which the crowd takes as an instruction to loosen their hips.
On closer inspection, despite the loose fluidity with which they play, Clubfeet truly is the sum of its carefully measured parts. Monty Cooper’s keys never wash out Yves Roberts’ slick basslines, and in turn Vivian Croft’s drums never crush Bennington Le Bruce’s shimmering synths.
“Wow, it is hot in here. I got goddamn sweat in my eyes people, anyone got a sweat band?”, asks Cohen before calling up vocalist Chela to perform their duet “Heartbreak”. It is a smooth little tune, perfectly executed by both vocalists. One audience member shows his approval by hoisting himself onto his mate’s shoulders, a move that goes down like a lead balloon with security.
Changing course once again, “D.I.E. Yuppie Scum” has a distinctive Flaming Lips feel to it. New single “Everything You Wanted” is waiting to be picked up by radio and will no doubt be all over Triple J in a matter of time. The longing chorus induces shivers and Cohen cannot compliment his crowd enough. “You’re fucking amazing Melbourne, it’s going to be hard to top this. This is the best show ever; this is the best crowd, seriously”, he shouts.
Tonight’s solid show is certainly a good indicator as to what Clubfeet are capable of, and about as close to cruising down the French Riviera in 1983 as many will get.
