Live Review: Middle Kids, Sweater Curse

Middle Kids kick off their new national tour in Brisbane tonight at everyone’s favourite beer garden turned live music venue, The Triffid. The tour is in honour of their newly released single Real Thing. The tune is an exciting taste of the mini-album to come, but tonight, fans flock to the sold-out show for the classics they know, and love, from the band’s debut album, Lost Friends.

Opening the night is Brisbane’s own indie-rock trio Sweater Curse. They set the tone for the night with repetitive dreamscape guitar lines and hard-hitting drum fills. Vocals from frontwoman Monica Sottile and lead guitarist Chris Langenberg are a little rough around the edges, which for the most part adds to the band’s indie sound, though occasionally they just sound flat. The trio has that distinctive Brisbane sound that is evident in the music of Bugs and Good Boy - a sound that never fails to get a crowd dancing.

Sufficiently warmed up by Sweater Curse, the crowd are well and truly ready for Middle Kids after a short interlude. Wasting no time, they jump straight into Never Start, the second track on their 2017, self-titled EP. Frontwoman Hannah Cameron greets the crowd with an affectionate, "AYYYE what’s up?" before launching into the second song of the set, On My Knees. The band is the perfect combination of folk and indie, with Cameron’s flawless vocals taking their sound to the next level. Her delicate, controlled upper register, combined with her husky, gravelly lower register is something that can only be fully appreciated live. The stage is decorated with silver iridescent material, fairy lights and paper chains of white flowers, effectively converting The Triffid into a dreamy ballroom straight out of your favourite '90s prom flick. Taking full advantage of the décor, Cameron sets aside her guitar for a lively rendition of Fire In Your Eyes, pulling out some moves that would put Peter Garrett and both your parents to shame, before showering the crowd with white roses. In another highlight of the evening, drummer Harry Day steps out from behind his kit to have a go on the melodica for a surprisingly beautiful rendition of Old River. To round out the evening, the guys treat the crowd to their new banger, Real Thing, and two old ones, Last Friends and Mistake.

Photo by Terry Soo.

The catalogue of tunes Middle Kids have to choose from for a set list is impressively long for a band with just one album and an EP. As live performers, they are polished, carefree and a blast to watch. At this early stage in their career, this band has already impressed Australia, and increasingly, the world. This reviewer for one, cannot wait to see what they do next.