Tucked away at the dodgy end of Brunswick Street is one of the best small venues to see a live band in Melbourne. The Worker’s club is just big enough to not seem like your mum’s basement but still small enough to be intimate. A perfect place for an up and coming band like Tigertown to get up close and personal with their ever growing audience on their current tour.
Local Melbourne band Tully On Tully kicked things off just after the doors opened and it became apparent very quickly that these guys (and girl) are just about too good to be opening up for anyone. Criminally under represented at first by the still entering crowd, they impressed the hell out of the small but growing number of punters. With chiming guitars and a super talented female singer, their sound is reminiscent of the Jezebels’ first few EP’s. (Before they ‘jumped the shark’ with that debut album) Their set of dreamy indie pop tunes was an awesome way to start the gig and they are definitely a band to watch around town.
Next up were Brisbane band MTNS. That’s “Mountains” for the uninitiated and also how a dyslexic person might abbreviate Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Kind of. Like the Karate chopping amphibians they also kick ass. While only being a three piece, MTNS make quite a racket. Their use of vocoders and electronic drums are melded very effectively with guitars to create quite a hypnotic and at times lysergic sound reminiscent of bands like Polica.
As the room finally filled out, Tigertown took to the stage and launched into Wandering Eyes from their new EP of the same name. It seemed like we were being given a glimpse of what it would have been like to see Fleetwood Mac in their 70’s prime. In fact, Wandering Eyes could be the best track Fleetwood Mac never wrote. What a great opener. Morning Has finally Come from last year’s EP Before The Morning with its galloping beat and sublime vocal harmonies is a real showcase of the band’s talents.
The latest single What You Came Here For with its big syncopated drums and glistening synthesisers is ripe for national airplay and an obvious hit with the crowd. It marks somewhat of a new direction for the band and falls somewhere between 80’s mega hit makers Toto and the aforementioned Fleetwood Mac, which on paper might seem a little ridiculous but in reality is pretty awesome. The highlight of the set came from the haunting and mesmerising new song My Ghost during which the band swapped guitars for violins and seemingly hypnotised the crowd.
I can’t recall seeing a more solid line up of bands who perfectly complimented one another’s sound so cohesively. Tigertown are an immensely talented band and are worthy of your attention. Check them out!
PICS AND WORDS BY JAMES BARLOW
LOVED: 4 part vocal harmonies
HATED: Loud talking during quiet songs
DRANK: Coopers Pale
