Wedged in between the dance funk of !!! from the night before and the dance punk of VHS Or Beta the following night, tonight’s double billing of tranquil alternative pop seems a strange style of sound to take place in the middle of all the flailing going on at The Zoo. However, two damn fine acts vindicate this odd median, as Irish five-piece The Thrills team up with Sydney float-pop quartet Sparkadia for this peacefully exuberant performance.
With the release of their debut album Postcards just a matter of days away, Sparkadia are out to prove why they nabbed a slot on the upcoming UK V Festival and why they deserve the recent torrent of praise heaped on them by the public and critics alike. A sound that finds itself lingering somewhere between Dappled Cities and The Smiths, the Sydneysiders perform well, yet seems a little more reserved than usual, with the sound quality stripping the four-piece of some much needed panache. Throughout the set the crowd was thinned out towards the front of stage, but the Sparkadia crew managed to draw most people’s attention away from the tempting alcoholic delights at the bar until they concluded their set. More suitable mixing next time around should see the group in fine form and amazing the crowd at their own show.
A pre-10pm start guarantees fans can get to bed in time for work or uni the next day, and The Thrills’ relaxed peppy pop-rock only helps the audience settle into an optimistic lull before slumber sets in. Arriving on stage to enthusiastic applause and cheer, the Irish quintet display an aura of charming awkwardness as lead vocalist Conor Deasy greets the crowd with a squealing microphone before settling into the irresistibly amazing lead track The Midnight Choir off their latest album Teenager, complete with electric mandolin supplied by guitarist Daniel Ryan, but unfortunately no dancing gorilla (watch the video for the track… you’ll see what I mean).
The upbeat mood continues with the lyrically eponymous So Much For The City track Big Sur, during which Deasy exposes his Cocker-esque (both Jarvis AND Joe) dancing style. With the crowd a little less responsive than hoped, the lads tone it down for a few songs throughout the set, namely Not For All The Love in The World, dedicated to pianist Kevin Horan ’s recent loss of virginity, in addition to stripped back versions of Restaurant and Deckchairs And Cigarettes, with I’m So Sorry serving as the last slow track before finishing with Your Love Is Like Las Vegas and Whatever Happened To Corey Haim? at the end of the set. Departing stage to rapturous cheer, some elements of the crowd shout for ballad Hollywood Kids to be played as part of the encore. As the band appear once again on stage, their feign an attempt at the request, but soon give up and kick into The Irish Keep Gate Crashing, the band’s protest against Irish Catholic bigotry. As the hour approached 11, there was time for one last tune, which the band provide in the form of fan favourite One Horse Town, performed with immaculate style despite the slightly muted acoustics. Leaving stage for the final time, the crowd seemed truly pleased with the Irishmen’s first performance in Brisbane, and given it was their first gig in six months, it ended up being a truly stunning night of beautifully introspective pop.
