Treating their hometown to a delightful and highly anticipated EP tour, Eagle and the Worm warmed up the stage yet again with a satisfying performance.
Looking around the eager crowd, faces of friends, family and fans are surrounding the stage. For the eight piece band, relaxing gigs such as this was where it all began. What a treat to go back to basics with a laid back performance for their most adoring Melbournians.
Supporting bands Attols and Vice Grip Pussies got the ball rolling, to a somewhat drizzled number of viewers.
The Tote’s great outdoor set up made it hard for audiences to wander inside early to watch the first two acts. Not wanting to miss out on a few extra beers before the show, most of the crowd watched from outside, before relocating to the warmth of the bar indoors.
The small crowd didn’t dampen the spirits of Attols in the slightest, putting on a great performance, and sneaking in a few beers between songs.
Vice Grip Pussies put a whole new spin on the evening, catching many of the audience members off guard who may be awaiting such a sweet folk band to come onstage, they were confronted with the extreme antics of the long haired group of boys. The loud and wild boys of Vice Grip Pussies definitely woke up any bored and sleepy concert goers.
The energy that was coming from this band was intense. They put on a great performance and had fun running through the crowd and outside to the bar, trying to get as much interest from the pack as they could.
Unfortunately their efforts may have been in vain, as the majority of the room was eagerly awaiting the humble pop stylings of Eagle and the Worm.
The band room swelled by the time the eight bright faces hopped on stage. There is nothing better than seeing a band that looks and feels like a family up on stage.
The strong ensemble consists of a three piece horn section, a little synthesizing, bass and the vocal work of frontman Jarrad Brown (how some may recognise as the lead singer of side project Custom Kings).
Celebrating the release of their latest EP Strangelove, the blissful group delivered all five new tracks, along with some golden oldies. The seven strapping young men, and one lovely lady, have taken a more lounging rock vibe with their release, commenting in a recent Tone Deaf interview that “it’s important for us to keep experimenting.”
Songs such as “Give Me Time” and “Angela’s Lonely Heart” were crowd pleasers, pushing the band’s pop identity to a new level, with a more rock driven performance.
Further into the night, the audience was graced with an adorable acoustic love song, “Darling Let Me In”.
Drawing from his lyrical experience from The Custom Kings, Brown eased those balled into the room with a well-written number which felt fresh and not at all refurbished from his past songs. The three piece horn section really stood out in this song, in particular the trumpet which added some extra flare by delving into deeper drawn out notes, which complimented the theme of the lyrics beautifully.
The night finished off with the 2010 favourite “All I Know”, which animated a few boozy fans who were grooving around up at the stage.
After singing “Happy Birthday” to the band’s bass player, the outfit hopped into the crowd and enjoyed the rest of the night with the 50-odd fans that got to enjoy an intimate treat with their favourite Melbourne family.
