One of the best measures of an up-and-coming live act is how well they deal with the challenges of playing first support; if a band can nail a set in front of the inevitably small and unfamiliar crowd of the early timeslot, you know they are one to look out for.
While Playwrite were playing to a near empty band room at the East Brunswick Club on Saturday night, you wouldn’t have known it from watching them. The six-piece attack their set with zeal, and manage to evoke such a large sound from their litany of instruments that it fills the room with their heavily layered tunes.
While the band gives off an ensemble vibe heavily reminiscent of Arcade Fire, their actual sound is more like TV on the Radio with a gloss of funk and danceable beats. Of course, enthusiasm isn’t everything, and the set was dogged by a few problems.
The only song featuring female vocalist Caity Fowler seemed to take her out of her range, and sometimes the shifting of band members between instruments occasionally took away from the overall cohesiveness of the set.
Leader Cheetah have been supported by Belles Will Ring for all shows on the national tour of their sophomore effort Lotus Skies. This show is smack bang in the middle of the tour and it shows; both bands play the kind of tight, accomplished sets that only seem to happen after a few consecutive shows, but neither demonstrates any sign of fatigue.
Belles Will Ring take the stage first to play a set comprised mainly of songs from their critically acclaimed album Crystal Theatre. This Sydney outfit recently played one of the coolest support slots of this year for doyens of Britpop Pulp, and their polished, mature performance demonstrates why they were chosen.
On the surface the newer songs sound like standard 60s throwback psychedelic fare, but dig deeper and there is a layered complexity and moody texture that makes each song feel a bit like an eerie postcard from a 1960s small town.
The highlight of the set is an older track, ‘The Coldest Heart’, a slice of psychedelic goodness that sounds a bit like how the Brian Jonestown Massacre might sound if they spent less time beating each other up and more time practicing their instruments.
Leader Cheetah’s set was a solid performance of well-crafted, folksy rock with Americana tinges. Band members from Belles Will Ring join them occasionally on stage; Liam Judson plays trumpet on the first song, with Lauren Crew lending some nice harmonies and tambourine work later in the set.
Lead singer Dan Crannitch has a unique and raw vocal quality that, at its best, recalls the earthy tones of Neil Young but occasionally becomes forced and overbearing. The best moments of the set come in the solos and breakdowns- Leader Cheetah are all highly skilled musicians and, while the hooks and progressions are nothing you haven’t heard before, they are done in such a slick way that you can’t help but enjoy yourself.
‘Bloodlines’, their most recent single off Lotus Skies, is perhaps the best example of this- while the song rests squarely on a well-established 60s rock formula, the solos and performance draw you in and get you moving.
Standard fare it may be, but its delivered with such charisma, enthusiasm and skill that, by the time Crannitch invites the crowd to have a beer with them after the set, you feel like jumping at the chance.
– Annika Holden
