Parades is well known for its massive live ensemble, with often more than ten people on stage, each adding to the sound in their own unique way. Hence, I was a little concerned when I heard they were playing Transit – how would they all fit?

However, the band is touring with only the five core members, and, although a little cozy, Transit accommodated them just fine. The bar was quite empty on the night, with only around thirty people showing up for the show. Although the low turnout was disappointing, it did mean the crowd could get up close and personal with the bands, and there was plenty of opportunities to chat to the guys between support acts.

The Upskirts, a Triple J Unearthed band from Sydney, kicked things off with an energetic set of indie pop. The head-banging and guitar-wielding band members may have looked too young to be at an over 18’s gig, but they certainly knew how to play their instruments! The crowd enjoyed hanging back and tapping their toes to this one, and by the time they played their Unearthed hit Red Trenchcoat, I was quite sold on the band.

Belles Will Ring, also from Sydney, followed with a set of pop/country tunes that even managed to pull a few punters to their feet to have a dance. Although the set was very polished and the band worked together well on stage, occasionally the vocal harmonies were a little off centre and out of tune.

By the time Parades came out, the gig was running an hour behind time, and people were getting restless. However, it was well worth the wait, and the meager crowd that showed up all surged towards the stage to get closer to what was an amazing set. The layered pop of Parades is even better live than on their album, Foreign Tapes. Standout tracks include Marigold, with Jonathan Boulet providing an energetic drum solo that had feet tapping all over the bar, and Loserspeak in New Tongue.

The most impressive thing about Parades was how equally all of the band contributed to the show. There is no identifiable frontman – rather, it’s just a group of likeminded people making amazing music. Although our calls for an encore went unanswered, the show was so great, I even bought their album on the way out.

Parades is definitely a band to watch.