To celebrate the release of their new single, “Drones,” Sydney four-piece Nantes made their way along the east coast to finish their tour in Melbourne at Can’t Say on Friday night.
Scattered with barely-legal hipsters, the Banana Alley bandroom probably wasn’t an ideal venue as heavy dance beats pulsated through the walls and filtered through in-between songs from the rowdy nightclub next door.
Nevertheless, the boys were in good spirits as lead singer and bassist, David Rogers, told the crowd that they were “having a really great time.”
It seems the feeling was mutual as radio favourite “Fly” grabs the youths’ attention and has at least some of them dancing.
The bass-driven self-proclaimed “dirty pop” struggled to overpower the combined noise of drunken punters and second-hand electro, and at times it was Rogers’ voice that bore the brunt of this.
Wavering in and out of key, his low tones weren’t always up to the task and their set suffered as a result. They are still a good band to watch regardless, if for nothing other than their palpable enjoyment in performing.
In an attempt to rouse the crowd into action, Rogers dedicated the next song to a ‘Liam’ in the audience, before Josiah Eastwood launched into the familiar chords of upbeat, catchy “Charlie” from last year’s successful self-titled debut EP.
The moment everyone was waiting for was the new single, “Drones.”
Rogers’ announcement stirred the oft-distracted crowd into excitement, and gradually the room came alive, albeit a little late. Slower-paced than their previous tracks, “Drones” still has the synth-laden hooks that this young band are becoming known for.
Without warning, the end leads straight into a cover of Radiohead’s “Creep”, as cheers of approval ring out.
Sadly, the fragility of the song are lost on this space; drowned out again, it was sometimes hard to even decipher what was being sung. Luckily, it was improvised, with Rogers announcing “I just really like Radiohead.”
Not letting interferences get to them, they finished the set with the captivating yet lyrically dark “Unsatisfy.” It seemed as though the crowd was finally on their side as they drew the difficult set to a close.
The night wasn’t over yet, with Rogers vowing to party into the wee hours with the fans, as he cheekily told them “see you on the dance floor.”
