The mutual adoration between MS MR and Australia continued with the New York duo’s packed-out Splendour In The Grass sideshow at The Hi-Fi, only five months since their last visit for Laneway Festival.
Twinsy, the sole support act of the night, have come a long way since their inception. Composed of Guy Chappell of Yacht Club DJs on drums and Michael Belsar from Hunting Grounds on vocals and guitar, the pair have expanded their live act to include a two-piece horn section, bassist and percussionist, creating a huge and infectiously fun sound.
The aforementioned bassist played on gallantly despite being seated and wearing a neck-brace after apparently putting “his head through a car window on a motorcycle”. His valiant attempts at head-bopping were a sight to behold.
In a set that included a Beck cover, a handful of brand new songs, and tracks from their debut, self-titled EP, Twinsy have clearly molded an undeniably fun and dancey sound. “Waterbomb”, the band’s breakthrough single and third most-played song on Triple J last year, ensured the crowd’s vocal chords were sufficiently warmed up for the headline act.
After a half hour break, the duo of vocalist Lizzy Plapinger (MS) and producer/keyboardist Max Hershenow (MR) strode confidently onto the stage before a full-to-the brim Hi-Fi crowd.
Joined by a touring drummer and bassist, MS MR immediately launched into “Bones”, a moody and drama-tinged track recently featured on a trailer for the popular Game Of Thrones, as if the band needed any more hype.
From the very outset it was obvious just how good a voice Plapinger possesses. Despite remarking that she was losing her voice following festivities at Splendour over the weekend, the singer barely missed a note the whole night.
Cutting a striking figure on stage in leather pants and a crop top, Plapinger moved and swayed with the music as she allowed her voice to shine.
After saying “we’re gonna fucking rock your faces off”, the band bewilderingly began the slowest song of the night, the ballad “BTSK”. Hershenow then detailed the story of the first song the two ever recorded, a cover of Patrick Wolf’s “Time Of My Life”, quipping that, “We didn’t know that in two years we’d be in Melbourne, Australia”.
MS MR seem like a band who still haven’t fully comprehended their overwhelming international success. The pair constantly remarked about their origins in New York only two years ago, saying that, “We’re a band that started in Max’s closet, and to come to the other side of the world and hear people sing our songs … we really wouldn’t be doing so well without you”.
The band’s sound is full and strong in a live setting, and the vocals are stunning, but the set suffers from an overall sameness with no real distinctions between each song. The band’s at times awkward stage presence doesn’t help this.
“Fantasy” finally got things going properly, receiving the biggest reaction of the night with the masses screaming the lyrics back. While Hershenow had mainly stayed hunched behind his keyboards, contributing sporadic backing vocals, he finally emerged to deliver some very questionable dance moves.
“This Isn’t Control” saw the two alone in the spotlight, and it’s moments like these, where they just seem so in-tune with each other, that it’s perhaps a surprise that they’re not called Mrs Mr.
After claiming that “we’ll see you soon” to the impressively loud crowd, “Hurricane” brought the short 45 minute set to a close. After playing all but a handful of songs from their sole album, Secondhand Rapture, and a cover, they really didn’t have much left to play.
Although suffering from a sense of repetitiveness in the middle, the set allowed Plapinger’s vocals to be fully showcased and the overwhelmingly positive reaction of the packed venue was impossible to deny.
