Live Review: Alpine, Pearls, Olympia

Solo act Olympia graced the stage with her pared-back guitar and layered vocals over keys and drums. Ebbing and flowing before the main act of the night, echoing vibes of Ainslie Wills, tracks like Atlantis made Olympia a welcome oasis of soulful sound.

If the cast of ‘80s cult classic TV show Twin Peaks formed a band, it would be Pearls. With jarring guitars and synth, Pearls try to create dystopian echoes. Tracks like Better Off Alone feature distorted sounds with those long, jangling chords so reminiscent of Twin Peaks. Between that and lead vocalist Cass Kiely’s resemblance to tragic character Laura Palmer and you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve been transported back in time. Opening with faster track, Pretend You’re Mine, they initially piqued the crowd’s interest, but lost momentum and timing somewhere along the way. While their album sounds relatively cohesive, it doesn’t translate live, where it seems as though each member of Pearls is from a different band playing different versions of the same song.

Alpine were by far the highlight of the night. With an absolutely killer energy from the start of their set, this group of people are the definition of a band that works. Their playfulness, energy and showmanship (alongside their totally tight vocals and instruments) were unsurpassed — it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a band have this much fun on stage together (and still put on a musically tight show), and it was awesome to see. The energy from songs like Crunches, Up For Air and crowd favourite Foolish was accompanied by the tightest moves and those trademark harmonies and driving beats that Alpine are known for. Mixing tunes from both their most recent and first albums, Alpine should be at the top of your list to see at Splendour.