The Preatures took over Northcote Theatre on Saturday 9 August for a night of nostalgia-soaked rock A.K.A 10 years of Blue Planet Eyes.
But before The Preatures, the Northcote Theatre crowd welcomed Melbourne-based and Byron Bay-grown indie alt-rock group Loose Content, to kick things off.
The magnetic three-piece fit right in to the night’s lineup, with whispers and fuzzy hints of Radiohead, Talking Heads and Courtney Barnett rockier soundscapes. Vocalist MiLLa took no prisoners with her tough grit and bandmates and highschool friends Sam Sanders and Aquila Porter effortlessly backed it up with their own charged and solid power.
Next up were The Tullamarines, a team of four Adelaide voices bringing high-energy indie pop to a room of people very willing to get in on that energy. They had the stage presence and tight-play of seasoned pros. The crowd was very happy about one particular cover of Lorde’s Green Light.
Blue Planet Eyes
- 10 years since debut album
- Northcote Theatre Saturday 9 August, 2025
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Before we get into the Northcote Theatre main event, a quick and sincere shoutout to the sound engineer for this show. The grand Northcote Theatre has proved a challenging venue to mix in, but whoever was on the job last Saturday…let’s just say it was absolute music to my ears. The entire night rang clear and true and balanced, you have truly mastered your craft.
I knew we were in for a great show when The Preatures frontwoman and ultimate cool girl (in my eyes at the very least) Isabella Manfredi checked in with the crowd. She wanted to know if we were ready.
‘Shall we rock?’ she asked.
Oh boy. Is it appropriate to fall to your knees and scream ‘Yes, please, can we?’ in the middle of a crowd? No? Good, because I definitely didn’t do that. Let’s move on.
The Sydney band is celebrating 10 years of their debut album Blue Planet Eyes, an album that had 14-year-old me hooked on the alt-rock outfit from the start. Perhaps also a little in love with Manfredi.
Kicking things off with their iconic tune Somebody’s Talking, the second song on Blue Planet Eyes, I was pleased but not surprised that Manfredi’s vocals are as crisp and commanding and electric live, as they are on my worn CD from 2014.
The Preatures rock
Moving through Cruel, I Know A Girl and Manic Baby, before delivering a divine cover of Prince’s When You Were Mine, The Preatures are as fine-tuned and fresh as they were 10 years ago.
Manfredi’s vocals rang with merriment, perhaps in part because you could tell the band were enjoying themselves and love the music they make, but I think it’s also fuelled with 10 years of life lived since these tracks were first shared.
Manfredi has a real ease of confidence onstage, she’s cool because she knows she belongs up there. Not for ego, not for any self-serving agenda, but for the unapologetic fun of playing music.
This sense of fun wrapped up the entire band; Jack Moffit’s itchy guitar riffs, Thomas Champion’s bouncing bass rhythm, Luke David’s kicking drum beat and Gideon Bensen’s creamy vocals and soulful guitar. Choreographed dance moves, shared grins, a big onstage boogie; the recipe for a wonderfully carefree gig.
Let’s run through the setlist here; Whatever You Want, Rock And Roll Rave, Magick, Two Tone Melody and Business, Yeah obviously got a play. Then, Your Fan, It Gets Better, Girlhood and Yanada before a particularly rocking cover of The Angels Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again? A universal crowd-pleaser, right?
Is This How You Feel wrapped up the night, understandable as a favourite for old and new fans alike. It’s geniunely my go-to shower song when I’m living my alternative-reality-life of being the frontwoman of a really cool band, so.
Listen to The Preatures Blue Planet Eyes here.
