You know when you’ve lurked someone online for ages and you finally get to see them in person? That’s how it felt to finally see Chastity Belt live after liking pretty much all their Instagram photos for a solid year. Making their Australian debut, the band have well and truly assimilated themselves into the Melbourne scene, cramming in DJ sets, instore appearances and two packed shows at The Curtin into their tour schedule.
Psychedelic trip Lalić opened the night with their swirling, immersive set that was high in energy despite the early timeslot. Singer and guitarist Mladen Milinković completely surrendered themselves to the music while playing, trashing about and pouring no shortage of emotion into the performance.
Batpiss have a band name that would suggest they don’t take themselves too seriously but this certainly wasn’t the case. The three-piece played a thundering set that packed more than one can properly process in just half an hour. A highlight came from a song that mostly involved clapping and screaming on top – it’s simple but it worked.
Chastity Belt could be spotted in the crowd throughout the evening so when they did make it onstage it felt as though you were watching a bunch of mates perform. Lead singer Julia Shapiro saddled up to the mic and coyly announced they’d be launching into Drone.
The band’s most loved song Cool Slut has become something of an empowering feminist anthem, sung back with so much joy it was quite something. Lydia sums up one’s experiences being young and often under the influence, with the melodic guitar on the track a perfect accompaniment to Shapiro’s blues tinged voice. With choruses that often felt like a call to arms, the set was almost reminiscent of a rally that certainly lifted the mood of the audience who collectively stood back in awe of the band.
After an extended outro on Time To Go Home, an encore felt like almost asking too much of the band. Luckily punters were treated to one last song, with Joke a perfect finish to a night of high energy and great vibes.
Chastity Belt are definitely right at home here in Melbourne and based off the night’s crowd it was obvious that they’ve been enthusiastically received. While we sadly can’t claim them as our own, our only solace is that there’s always promise of another tour in the hopefully not too distant future.
WORDS BY HOLLY PEREIRA
IMAGE BY ZO DAMAGE
Loved: The selection of crop tops available for sale.
Hated: The guy who managed to talk louder than a live band.
Drank: A lot of water.
