The venue formerly known as Billboard has been restored to its former glory since undergoing a name change, with more quality shows being booked than ever before. A Wednesday night gig with one of our neighbours biggest exports, The Naked and Famous was certainly no exception.
Plenty of people made the effort to arrive early enough to watch Vancouver Sleep Clinic – the moniker of 17-year-old from Queensland, Tim Bettinson, who has just released his debut EP Winter. Joined onstage in a live setting by three musicians, they put on a consummate performance that impressively managed to capture to thoroughly atmospheric soundscape of the extended play.
In the 30 minutes between sets the venue reached capacity and anticipation was high amongst the audience. So much so that when the band walked on stage the crowd went uncharacteristically crazy for a midweek show. They wasted little time launching into the first song, A Stillness, off sophomore album In Rolling Waves.
Lead single from that new album, Hearts Like Ours, was one of the earlier highlights. The band sounded incredibly tight musically. Frontwoman Alisa Xayalith’s vocals were slightly off for the first song-and-a-half but after that were very much on point for the reminder of the night. Guitarist and vocalist Thom Powers’ singing ability was also impressive in a live setting. He was somewhat mesmerising to watch, given his short back and sides and long on top haircut meant he spent most of the show pushing his hair back when it fell forwards over his face, which happened frequently.
Another notable song from the newer material was I Kill Giants. The synth pop gem really filled the venue and reverberated around the crowd. The band’s set was only around 80 minutes long including a two-minute break before the encore. Yet their choice of set list, with too many slower deep cuts, made it feel a little too long. It was a shame because they delivered a great performance, but on a night where lots of people had to consider work the next day, it felt like it dragged in parts.
The real focal points of the show were the big hits from debut album Passive Me, Aggressive You. Their first album has more of a raw pop sound that translates to a live setting a lot better than their new album, despite its quality. Punching In A Dream brought about the best audience reaction of the evening. That was until the final song of the encore. Young Blood brought about an immense reaction from the crowd. Finally, the crowd down the front looked like what the mosh pit area should have done all night long. A quality gig that included all the hits, just a few too many slower numbers that made the show feel lengthy.
BY ALEXANDER CROWDEN
Loved: Their live sound.
Hated: Too many slow jams.
Drank: Average beer.
