One year on from their set at the Corner, it was a huge jump for Modern Baseball to 170 Russell. Foxtrot started off the evening with an adequate set, but there wasn’t much to write home about. Their drummer gave it a hell of a go though and his fills gave the band technical precision that didn’t seem to make it on the drawing board for their lead singer.
Hometown darlings Camp Cope saw the first real reaction from the crowd, with screams of adoration pushing the volume to its peak. Lead singer/guitarist Georgia Maq laughed as the audience sang the words back to her, clearly still struck anyone cares enough. Her vocals shone and managed to cover the fact the other two members struggled to fill the stage presence quota. Maybe it’s nerves, but as the stages get larger, another guitarist to add melody and personality wouldn’t go astray. Still, it was a performance that gave merit to the praise that’s been heaped on them.
With only an understated banner to embellish their set, Modern Baseball kicked straight into Wedding Singer. Immediately the crowd, who’d been stationary so far save for singalongs, launched into the air . Although they looked like they’re off to an all night Dungeons and Dragons sesh, Mobo made it feel like they were everyone’s new best friends. The crowd begged for a shoey, but singer Brandon Lukens shut them down quickly, “For someone who’s recovering from a heavy alcohol addiction, that’s not that cool guys.”
Amazingly the crowd stopped immediately, showing that the peer pressure mentality has clearly been overtaken by genuine respect and adoration. Cuts from their latest record were well received, but favourites like Pothole and Fine, Great were incomparable in their enthusiasm. A slightly reworked intro to Tears Over Beers saw huge grins on stage and off, a testament to the fact that anything they do is instantly beloved.
The undisputed highlight of the evening was a diehard fan’s giant sign with a request to play Your Graduation. As she’s pulled from the crowd and handed a guitar, the roar from the entire venue was gigantic. A few missed notes and timing errors hardly mattered as she hugged her newfound friends in the band and everyone cheered in appreciation. That’s two shows of this double bill Australia’s had in a year, so let’s make this an annual tradition shall we?
Words by Jonty Simmons
Image by Ian Laidlaw
Highlight: Audience member Paris smashing it during Your Grad.
Lowlight: Foxtrot’s warbled singing.
Crowd Favourite: I reckon you know what it is.
