Oh Mercy, Washington, AdrianDeutsch, The Ocean Party @Jive, Adelaide (30/10/09)

Tue 3rd Nov, 2009 in Gig Reviews

CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE.

Friday night at Jive was a showcase of four young Australian indie/pop bands to the delight of the young crowd. Oh Mercy is nearing the end of their Australian album showcase tour for their debut Privileged Woes, an impressive step for a previously Triple J unearthed band. It was a night of the number four; four bands performed with each featuring four members, and four debut EPs or albums being promoted.

The first support was The Ocean Party a very young Melbourne four-piece. Although their sound is quite familiar they deliver a very strong confident performance. The early timeslot did them no favours however, as their upbeat tunes struggled to encourage at least a small few of the tentative crowd to have a dance. Lachlan on lead vocals delivered a solid performance and tried his best to rev up the crowd.

Adrian Deutsch and his three piece backing band were up next and the charismatic front man showcased his boundless energy and great pop vocal. Heading around the country promoting his debut album Help You, Adrian kept his cool despite a strange fan holding a camera a metre from his face- honestly people need to understand boundaries. Despite growing crowd numbers, audience response was nonexistent despite the band’s solid sound. This was partly due to the messy endings of tracks; an area Deutsch and his band need to tighten. Final track Splitting the Difference showcased Adrian on a sweet lead guitar solo and Adam Foreman on keyboard, ending the short half hour set on a high note.

Washington was the final and official support act for the tour and was blessed with a slightly longer set to this reviewer’s delight. Megan Washington on lead vocals and keys is a fantastic front woman. Her vocals are superb and effortless and perfectly match her energetic, quirky, funny personality. Their opening track was received by the loudest crowd response of the night. Her fantastic vocals, passionate performance and fresh mix of music styles made Washington the highlight for tonight’s gig at Jive, despite being a support. Washington shows great personality through her witty banter and giggling mid song as her drummer pulled a face. The brief set included previous hit Clementine and finishing with Sunday Best where Megan finally got the crowd up and dancing and clapping along. A headline tour would be very well received in Adelaide.

Oh Mercy arrived to the stage and it seemed that many of the crowd had disappeared after the opening tracks. The softer pop sound did them no favours as the crowd were now pumped up to have a dance. Those who left missed a solid set from the previously Triple J unearthed band; featuring singles Seemed Like a Good Idea and Lay Everything on Me with Alexander Gow’s sweet vocals the standout of the night. Alexander was backed by Eliza Lam on bass and vocals, Rohan Sforcina on drums and Thomas Savage on piano delivering a sound reminiscent of 60s ballads and was perfectly complimented by the starry night sky backdrop. Out around the country promoting debut album Priviliged Woes produced by Miles from The Panics, Oh Mercy is moving from strength to strength.

CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE.