Strange Talk have been gathering steam over the last few months ever since the track “Cast Away” dropped from their (now recently released) debut album.
Playing a hometown show, the first since their album – also titled Cast Away – was released, felt a lot like a watershed moment for the band. Onstage it looked as if the band felt a combined sense of relief at finally having the album out (one that has been thoroughly well-received) and to play a headline show at one of Australia’s iconic live music venues – in their hometown no less.
Interestingly they open the set with “Cast Away”, a strange choice given that it’s easily their most well known song. It felt odd for it to be played straight away, especially given that people were still arriving and possibly missing part, if not all, of the track.
The four-piece wasted no time lapping up the sumptuous applause for their first effort by promptly launching into the synth-heavy and unashamedly ‘80s number ‘Wanted’.
The very next song was a non-album cut called “Eskimo Boy”. Given the set was only 12 songs long and no longer than an hour in duration, it was curious that the band opted to play five songs not on Cast Away. Longer-term fans nonetheless enjoyed “Is It Real”, “We Can Pretend”, “Sexual Lifestyle” and “Cosmic”, giving the songs a similar reception to those from the album.
The venue felt very full despite not quite being a sell-out, more so than some capacity shows at The Corner earlier this year. The undeniably upbeat track “Picking Up All the Pieces” was the night’s obvious highlight, bringing about a particularly buoyant mood.
It’s customary for hometown gigs to be very onside crowds, which made it apparent that something was missing at this particular show. Between and during songs there was an noticeable amount of talking, laughing and people generally not paying attention.
Nonetheless, the band put in a solid showing and their effort didn’t waver. Luckily the vibe grew more focused as the set continued, and the penultimate track ‘Falling in Love’ was met with rapturous applause and suitable screams.
Strange Talk closed their brief set with the sing-along-triggering jam “Climbing Walls”, which garnered the exact desired result by causing the vast majority of the crowd to join in enthusiastically.
Ultimately it was a professional and fun gig, although somewhat let down by the choice of set list and a crowd that weren’t giving it back as good as they were getting it.
