There’s nothing quite like an early start to the weekend, especially when you’re a part of a sold out show on a Thursday night ready to see the mighty Kingswood.
You could probably have been forgiven for being a little confused or perplexed by the electic group of musicians gracing the stage to commence proceedings on the night. Lurch & Chief are a six piece indie rock musical collaboration hailing from Melbourne, and bring a pretty interesting mix of styles and energy to their performances. I have to say, I’m loving the shared lead vocals between Hayden Somerville and Lili Hall which in itself is a contradictory experience of sorts. Gracing the audience with some sweet sounds, We Are The Same was a definite standout but On Your Own makes a close second!
Lurch & Chief @ The Corner
It was then time for ‘songs about stories’ from Bertie Blackman. Admittedly, I’d heard a lot of Bertie’s music but never seen her live so this was an absolute treat. Opening with the layered, haunting sounds of Tremors the set featured tracks from 2012’s Pope Innocent X, but without excluding some of the older stuff, including Boy. There’s definitely a rockier edge to hearing Bertie live, compared to the album versions which adds another dimension to the committed live experience along with a little light humour from some casual banter with the crowd (recognising faces from the previous night and other gigs) and wrapping up the set with Mercy Killer. Good times!
Bertie Blackman @ The Corner
While this was the second Kingswood show at the Corner, it was the first show announced and it was pretty obvious that the band were absolutely stoked about it selling out. Kicking off with ‘She’s My Baby’, we were in for a good night with the known tracks from the Change of Heart EP (including the title track), some newbies and an old 12 bar blues. There were no disappointments to be had here, awesome sounds and some seriously cool guitar solos. If it wasn’t enough hearing Kingswood’s ‘Wolf’, the surprise of the night came with a live cover of First Aid Kit’s Wolf (even better live!)
Kingswood @ The Corner
Finally the moment we’d been waiting for given that the show was in honour of the single release, it was time for ‘Ohio’. Generally the most physically challenging part of attending a gig would be standing for a few hours, but not tonight. Instead, we were asked to crouch down and everyone in that room obliged, despite that ample space wasn’t exactly readily available and there may have been some dodgy knees straining at the pressure….it’s all for the music!
If anyone didn’t have a good time last Thursday night, they obviously weren’t at the Corner. Fun times to remember, and a perfect send off for a trip to Nashville that will deliver the best album we’ve ever heard (proof of that promise below, courtesy of YouTube)…
A Higher Revelation 