Heart of a Lion
I went to another gig on Saturday evening. It was actually more of an afternoon gig; I wish more of those existed because I sort of prefer to get home earlier rather than late… though things aren’t really in a “party” mood before nine o-clock! I was early to the venue, which reminded me of my first show at the Gaelic, where I saw Ben Jorgensen. I was well over three hours early for a gig at a bar. Ay, I was naive then; didn’t know what to expect. This is the kind of thing you just learn and pick up over time. I hope to get my younger brother into gigs - he’s already coming with me to see Marianas Trench, and that’ll be his first show. It took a lot of convincing but I am positive he’ll have a great time. He’ll love the band; it’s not too heavy for him; there won’t be crazy moshing; and I’ll be there - of course, a now-experienced show-goer.
Anyway, after being mildly irritated at the younger kids at the show on Saturday (it was all-ages) I grew to enjoy the energy they added to the crowd. Who am I kidding - they were the crowd. As Chris from the Griswolds was saying, kids are the best… they just dance and jump around without a care in the world, and they make shows fun. I guess they do. The lot of them were dancing and having so much fun, so eager to get up front. Usually when I’m at gigs, I know I’m taking photographs, but I feel like such a tool going right up to the front of the stage.
Who was playing? The Money Go Round (who I’ve seen before!), The Griswolds (who I’ve seen three times before, hahaha) and Lime Cordiale. I hadn’t seen Lime Cordiale live, but I had a listen to their music and they seemed to my taste, and pretty cool, so I figured they’d be a lovely addition to the other two, who are my favourite bands of the moment.
I saw a lot of familiar faces that night - of course, the Money Go Round - and I got to chat to Evan and Rohan this time around. It was strange being recognised, and Riley from The Griswolds even acknowledged me as the photographer from The Standard. It’s no wonder it’s my favourite venue now. It’s strange because I just kinda do this stuff for fun, and people say hello. I got to hang backstage a little, and it was just awesome fun getting to chat with the band members just like old friends.
The music was great. I managed to get Mary in my head - a song I hope The Money Go Round will one day record, maybe onto an upcoming EP… who knows? As usual, I loved the power and enthusiasm that they had. I love their sound because they bring together this psychedelic rock that isn’t too “drippy”, it’s just raw and really tough. Most psychedelic rock I come across tends to suck because it’s too “light”. I love TMGR because their music is catchy and strong for their genre. They’re unique and I know one day they’ll make it out there. Congratulations to them and appearing on ABC’s Rage for the first time, too!
I look forward to so much more from TMGR. They’re a lot of fun live; you just can’t help but tap your foot to the beat. Their latest single Yayaya is available for free, go get your paws on this song full of bütz.
As usual the Griswolds were way too much fun for my little head to handle. We missed the paper pineapples and the confetti this time around, but you can’t deny that The Griswolds make people dance. They do, unfortunately, steal the limelight from the headliners most of the time. They recently won a competition to play Parklife - a festival bringing together great music, held in Spring time. But what the fuck, man. The Griswolds are going to take over the entire festival, at that. Every show I’ve seen them at has been no disappointment. I think the mixing was a little bit off the last time I saw them, but technical issues are not their fault.
The Griswolds’ EP Heart of a Lion comes out on the 28th September. Follow them on Twitter to make sure you don’t miss more exciting news from them. If you’ve ever seen these guys live, you’ll have a taste of the songs on the EP, but what better than to receive a gorgeous physical copy, eh? ;)
Lime Cordiale was much better live than on recording. They weren’t as exciting as I thought, but they played so well, it was enjoyable. It was also the kind of music you could dance to, whether you wanted to sway or wiggle your hips a bit. It was wonderful seeing the younger ones so enthused by their performance. What I love most is that brothers Oli and Louis take turns to sing, and I suppose there’s a bit of sibling rivalry and listeners might choose one over the other - but that’s what adds the variety to Lime Cordiale’s songs. Two brothers working together yet with a different style of performance makes for an interesting mix of tracks and an interesting live show. None of the band members become overshadowed. Everyone gets an equal amount of performance, an equal amount of solo, and an equal amount of applause.
Lime Cordiale’s music is incredibly unique; it’s hard to describe how it is. It’s eccentric, with sweet melodies and slurring vocals, teamed with catchy choruses and a hint of brass. It’s a bit like honey struggling to drip down a tree on a warm spring day. They’re probably not what you’re expecting, but then again, they probably are.
