With a decent queue waiting to get into Chinatown’s intimate Ding Dong Lounge, Glass Animals’ sold out gig had a wealth of people eagerly anticipating their first ever Australian show.
Having been on the circuit since 2006, support act Yeo has risen from Triple J’s Next Crop Artist to supporting the likes of Kimbra, Adam Green, Ngaiire, and the Pierce Brothers.
Despite the fact that he composes the majority of his indie-pop assets in his bedroom, the translation to a live setting appeared effortless and was tremendously commendable. With the aid of bandmate, The Electric Spectacular, Yeo played an engaging set that included his most notable tracks ‘Covered In Gold’ and ‘Girl’, to which the backing visuals gave the songs added strength.
Teasing out the intro and those glorious psychedelic slurs, Glass Animals opened with their second single ‘Psylla’. Whilst members Drew MacFarlane, Edmund Irwin-Singer, and Joe Seaward kept a subtle sway, lead singer David Bayley injected his own unique swagger. The frontman’s fragile and delicate ‘70s-like movements took the reigns until the twirls and what can only be described as a warm-up boxing stance emerged. Sometimes on par and other times clashing with the beat, his onstage presence commanded the audience’s attention.
‘Exxus’ saw a shared guitar intimacy between Bayley and Irwin-Singer, and the breathtaking harmonies between Irwin-Singer and MacFarlane created the first chills of the evening. Showing an effective setlist, the change from ‘Exxus’s soft, metronomic rhythm to the upbeat notions within ‘Walla-Walla’ lifted the sonic journey. As the song concluded, an “I love you Dave” came from the audience, to which he humbly reciprocated.
A futile introduction welcomed ‘Black Mambo’, a song that had the audience fan-girling during the string-plucked beauty and soulful whispers. Despite minimal lighting throughout majority of the set, the darkness actually complemented the gloriously gloomy and haunting harmonies.
New song ‘Hazey’ continued to mix their organic sounds against electronic manoeuvres, all the while retaining Bayley’s lingering tones. Despite the track’s unfamiliarity, Glass Animals still managed to evoke a thunderous reception.
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Unfortunately, the crowd’s attention was bizarrely lost during ‘Cocoa Hooves’, and the group chatter seemed to almost drown out the Oxfordshire brilliance expelling from the stage. ‘Toes’ directed the audience back on the mesmerising journey with its ‘70s garage qualities, but it was Bayley’s acknowledgement of it being their first-ever Australian show that captured the audience’s attention.
Leaping into personal and crowd favourite ‘Gooey’, smiles were immediately carved on all the faces throughout the venue. Joyous dancing oozed from every inch while the crowd singalong took over. They could have easily ended the set there, as it seemed nothing would top the atmospheric buzz.
Thankfully, in hindsight, it did not end. Playing their last track ‘Pools’ gave rise to a percussive frenzy. Having performed all of their nine tracks, an encore seemed highly unlikely – but the fans were treated to two more intimate treasures.
Returning on stage with an exclusive preview of their Triple J Like A Version song choice, the band covered Kanye West’s ‘Love Lockdown’. The group transformed the original’s bland, auto-toned mess into a layered blues and punchy groove.
The band announced that they didn’t want to finish there, however – they had run out of songs. This paved the way for the audience to request ‘Gooey’ once more. The song took on a new casual but flamboyant attitude, and it was an absolute pleasure to be part of.
The release of their debut album ZABA, scheduled for 6th June this year, is undoubtedly a heavily highlighted event in many calendars.
