Brooklyn’s Big Thief made their Australian debut off the back of their lauded album Masterpiece. The four piece looked timid on the large stage, their nervous energy palpable from the crowd. While they never quite looked at ease, this enhanced the sincerity of the set.
It was hard not to be moved by their performance with lead singer Adrianne Lenker’s voice full of unfiltered emotion. Lenker pointed out that they’ve been having some technical difficulties but was grateful to have the opportunity to play what she refered to as “special songs.”
Generally the sit down picnic vibes of the Melbourne Zoo are enough for punters but tonight the crowd gathered at the front barrier to secure the best vantage point. Warpaint’s signature art rock arrangements captivated from the get go, with the band arriving on stage and performing a sprawling intro before launching into Keep It Healthy.
The band had a clear synergy that transformed each song into epic live numbers, particularly with tracks Whiteout and Beetles. While the band weren’t overly talkative they exchanged pleasantries with the audience and were clearly impressed with the dedicated fans at the front of the crowd. Older track Elephants was received with a rousing reaction from the crowd, with this followed by the much loved Love Is To Die and New Song.
Warpaint delivered exactly what you’d expect of them – a tight set of hypnotic compositions and soaring harmonies that still managed to sound flawless.
Words by Holly Pereira
Image by Ian Laidlaw
Highlight: Discovering the raw power of Big Thief.
Lowlight: Spending 20 minutes looking for the food trucks.
Crowd favourite: Kurt Vile bopping his head along to the music side of stage.
