Holy shit you guys, Client Liaison. I don’t know where these two well-dressed gentlemen emerged from, but they’re arrived as a fully realised package of impassioned retro pop. Sounding like a blend of MJ and JF (that’s Johnny Farnham), the synth duo pulled off a set with impeccable showmanship that didn’t falter for a goddamn second. Closing their set with End Of The Earth, their sardonic bid at a new national anthem, Client Liaison made it clear tonight that they are worthy of their reputation as one of Mebourne’s hottest new talents.
It’s funny, Aleks & The Ramps managed to sound more outdated than the two retro-coated acts sandwiching them on the running schedule. It was like a hideous snapshot of 2008 indie, as if Architecture In Helsinki had never discovered synths and stayed shit, or Jens Lekman was subbed in for Vampire Weekend vocal duties. Nightmarish. Not only did a band member take to the stage in a Justin Bieber singlet, but the collective managed to partake in banter deriding the pop star. So edgy! But just as I was battling the urge to scream “Let go guys, it’s over!”, they closed their set with a new track entitled Finish. Sounding more like an evolution of the nascent Melbourne jangle rather than an opportunistic appropriation, the track was an arresting and affecting moment which belied all the horseshit that came before. Performing in sync with a rather splendid film clip projection could have delved into gimmick territory, but it all tied together in a beautiful way.
Now it’s time for the man, the myth, the one and only Donny Benét. The crowd went wild for All 4 You, a track from Donny’s recently released sophomore record. The crowd went even wilder as a saxophonist (Donny’s brother?) took things to a whole other level. The night struggled to maintain such a virility – Donny’s sex ballad to his boss Julia and the slightly overlong You Want To Win dampened momentum somewhat – but there were more than a few dizzying peaks throughout. New tracks Treat Yourself and You Will Make It In LA instigated all-out dance jams, and Gimme Your Heat resulted in the crowd happily heeding the call. The encore commanded the crowd spill onto the stage for Sophisticated Lover, then all too soon it was all over.
There’s one thing Melbourne needs right now and it’s more Donny Benét, more often.
BY LACHLAN KANONIUK
LOVED: The heat, the touch.
HATED: The two bros in the crowd who had the following straight-faced exchange while gawking at Aleks & The Ramps. “Ooh I love a woman who can drink a beer.” “Yeah you’re right, that IS a beer.” Fucking cockheads.
DRANK: Too much dancing going on for drinking.
