Grouplove @ Brunswick St Mall,Fortitude Valley (10/01/12)

Wed 18th Jan, 2012 in Gig Reviews

Channel [V] brought the Guerrilla Gig phenomenon to the Brunswick Street Mall in Fortitude Valley on Tuesday afternoon, with Grouplove performing to a surprisingly large crowd braving the humidity.

Admittedly, the majority of the crowd were sweaty hipsters (with a sprinkle of late lunching business folk and passersby, all equally as dehydrated and sunburnt) but, as is the brilliance of random street performances, the gig gave underage punters a chance to see their favourite band, an opportunity otherwise missed due to the band’s only Brisbane show being an 18+ affair.

The band started off their acoustic set with Lovely Cup and Itchin’ on a Photograph, easily flowing through a few of their more popular tracks and pleasing the ever growing crowd of fans and shoppers. Whilst not exactly the liveliest pop up performance, the relaxed set suited the acoustic backing.

Whilst more regular pop up performances in the mall might result in a loss of the novelty and excitement, it’s a great idea and provides underage punters with an opportunity to see their favourite bands when they tour through without, seemingly, too much effort from the band themselves (correct me if I’m wrong). Not to mention the handful of new fans garnered through a random public performance….and the potential opportunities for associated merch sales.