Melbourne songstress Kimbra belted out some fairly generic but spirited soul/pop for the very ‘too cool for school’ yuppie-ish crowd in attendance tonight.
Melbourne songstress Kimbra belted out some fairly generic but spirited soul/pop for the very ‘too cool for school’ yuppie-ish crowd in attendance tonight. She’s reasonably attractive, has a solid voice and the songs are strictly three-to-four-minute throwaway pop numbers, and so more or less all of the elements required for mainstream radio success are present here.
This lady could go a long way.
It’s often a sign of a reasonably inexperienced live band when they are a little underwhelming and low key when they first hit the stage, feeling each other out, making sure they don’t make a mistake. Such was the case here, but once new Melbourne duo Gypsy & The Cat warmed to the task, their presence, sound and chemistry lifted palpably, and with this so did the sold out crowd’s response. By the time they hit the title-track of their 2010 album Gilgamesh, their unique brand of atmospheric pop began to hit its stride and really shine. Given a few more years on the live scene, and 50 or 60 more gigs under their collective belts, G&TC could very well become a major force on the pop scene in a live sense, especially as their album is already doing big things on a national and international scale. Lead singer and guitarist Xavier Bacash especially is quite charismatic, has excellent range in his voice and should grow into his role/s nicely over time.
It’s fantastic to see a mostly-electronic act taking a full band on the road with them, and whilst their hired gun bassist and drummer are very much in the background, they both did their jobs with professionalism and enthusiasm. The live band vibe is always going to be vastly superior to one or two people onstage playing to looped/sampled backing tracks, even if it would be easier for them to simply go out as a duo. The live instrumentation lends an atmosphere and energy impossible through strictly electronic means.
Highlights were album tracks Breakaway and the mellow but grandiose Parallel Universe, as well as single and set closer Jona Vark, the latter being the crowd pleaser as well.
Gypsy & The Cat state their ‘arena pop’ aspirations quite openly, and judging by their distinguished beginnings, it shouldn’t be too long before those ambitions are realised.
