Live Review: Hachiku, The Ocean Party, June Jones

The Curtin bandroom is surprisingly packed when opener June Jones hits the stage. Looking breezy and quietly confident in Blundstones and a black skirt, Jones makes decent use of a lonesome keyboard and vocals. The chords are rudimentary, and the gravelly, wavering voice is an acquired taste, but the crowd seems to slowly warm to the tempered and affable delivery of this material. Personal catharsis, love and moral resolution are the aching themes of the set, but Jones offers glimpses of hope among the melancholia. Fingers crossed the upcoming Mount Eerie support kicks goals for this young songwriter.

The Ocean Party feel like a veritable institution in the local scene at this point and tonight the band further prove why. They're upbeat and chirpy, finishing out the first song with a tin-flute solo to cheesy smiles and applause. They all share vocals, switching mic duties from rhythm guitarist to lead guitarist, bassist to drummer. Allusions are made as to whether the headliner's new single references the drummer's dad "Murray", but the jury's out on that one. Closer Restless from their 2016 LP of the same name is a fiery, dazzling highlight.

Anika Ostendorf's bedroom project Hachiku has attracted a decent turnout tonight for a sneaky single launch, but not sneaky enough to escape the notice of her mum and sister who have flown in from overseas on holiday to watch her play. There's a certain no-nonsense, bookish confidence with her banter tonight, which covers her mum wearing sunglasses inside, polar bear socks that were bought for the band and bustling after-parties. Listening to Polar Bears, the final track from last year's self-titled EP, is like getting gently buffeted by a warm sea breeze and letting the upper range of Ostendorf's voice toss you delicately from cloud to cloud.

Hachiku's music sounds like if Wes Anderson recorded Beach House's second record Devotion. While cueing up their second last song and the single they launch tonight, Murray's Lullaby, Osterdorf shares with us that her band practised this one for two hours straight. Hearing the added instrumentation and samples, one can definitely see why. As drums fade and the last guitar notes ring out, there's hearty applause and we're left milling about among the band's friends, wondering who's hosting the after-party.