I’ve always thought of The Seabellies as Australia’s answer to Arcade Fire on a much smaller scale. The band possesses a great penchant for punching out tracks that are on a massive scope; somewhat cinematic in nature if that is possible. As a 6-piece, this Novocastrian group makes the most of their size by implementing any instrument they can get their hands on in a live format, every part sharing an equally important piece of the overall sound. And they certainly did well to make their Jive performance a success, despite the venue’s small stage area.
A slow-building crowd witnessed sets firstly from two promising young interstate bands in Glass Towers and The Cairos. Both bands hold a far greater rock edge than their headlining counterpart, with raw and uncompromising live shows that demonstrated a lot of promise and future potential for the two. With an average age of only 18, Byron Bay’s Glass Towers take a more conventional indie-rock direction with their songwriting, and have enough licks on display through each track to keep the listener entertained. Meanwhile, Brisbane 4-piece The Cairos displayed an element of youthful grit that proved they are certainly going places in the near future. Lead vocalist Alistair Richardson screamed his lungs out in many tracks, perhaps reminiscent of Children Collide singer Johnny Mackay. The band played tracks mostly from their freely downloadable EP 'Summer Catalogue', with set closer 'Listening Party' a particular highlight as the crowd began to feel their way into the evening.
Beginning their set with 'Orange X', The Seabellies immediately had everyone’s full attention, displaying all the elements of their music that make the soundscapes on debut album 'By Limbo Lake' so rich and fulfilling. Each instrument had their time in the sun when necessary, with no one particularly over-powering another at any stage. The band’s sound is probably best summated on lead singles 'Young Cubs' and 'Trans Ending'. The former is exuberant and carefree, and the band is exactly that on stage throughout the track, with guitarist Kyle Grenell perfectly recreating the ever-so-catchy lick that accompanies 'Young Cubs'. 'Trans Ending' shows The Seabellies’ aforementioned instrumental talent, as vocalist Trent Grenell and stickman Sean Kelleher swap positions as Kelleher takes front spot with a joyous trumpet performance that underpins the grandiose nature of the track. The band interspersed their well-known pieces with some newer material, which overall sounded like an extension of 'By Limbo Lake' with a slightly more mellow twist perhaps. Needless to say these songs sounded great, and all bodes well for fans of the band with a nice sophomore release seemingly ensuing in the not-too-distant future.
Older track 'Armour' and current single 'Board The Apartment Up' provided two more enjoyable moments for the enthusiastic patrons, with the latter showing off the flawless harmonies between lead vocalist Grenell, keyboardist Steph Setz and bassist Eddie Garven that make it a bona-fide hit on Australian radio at present. It was fantastic to see the band perform album track 'Paper Flames', one of the most mature-sounding songs on 'By Limbo Lake'. For those unacquainted, this song is so reminiscent of an Australian sound, if such a thing exists, and without trying to provide too many comparisons evokes the same form of lyrical articulacy as great bands like The Go-Betweens and The Panics. The night is then finished off with the cinematic album opener 'Ices (Death & Love)', leaving everyone with a great lasting impression of their Adelaide stopover. This is a band well and truly hitting their straps and it seems with every tour they continue to gain a new band of followers cottoning on to the immense talent this band holds. Their next visit, which, according to the band, will occur in the next month or so, is certainly not to be missed.
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