LIVE REVIEW: Sly Withers @ Badlands
Fresh from a nationwide expedition supporting Amy Shark whilst simultaneously touring their new EP Gravis, the busy plebs from the northern suburbs were finally home and ready for a huge finale to their EP tour.
After years slowly building an ardent fan base, Sly Withers have exploded in the Australian music scene in 2019. They’re no longer a west coast secret after landing support roles for Slowly Slowly and Amy Shark and becoming a regular feature in triple j’s rotation.
Anyone who’s known about Sly Withers for some time will agree that this has been a long time coming. But the feelsy indie grunge foursome is finally getting the recognition they deserve, including winning best punk/hardcore act at the WAM award night.
One of the key distinguishing features of Sly Withers is their twin vocalists, with the tracks alternating between lead singers Sam Blitvich and Jono Mata, whilst the suave Shea Moriarty and the cheeky mop-haired Joel Neubecker shred on bass and drums respectively. This unique set up gives them a diverse sound, with the storytelling style of Sam and the fervent feels of Jono contrasting beautifully. They somehow retain a distinct and consistent vibe, yet it sometimes feels as though you’re experiencing two bands for the price one. Absolute bang for your buck!
Saturday night at the Badlands venue was overflowing with unbelievable homegrown talent, with Flossy, Noah Dillon and Homebrand kicking off the proceedings with sensational sets. Not to mention the special guest that joined Sly Withers for their hit single ‘Lately’.
Their set kicked off with the first track from Gravis, an absolute tune famous for triumphing over Billie Eilish in the infamous ‘Sad Guy vs Bad Guy’ debate, followed by their 2018 single ‘Pleb’.
They then returned to their EP material with Sam’s narrative delights ‘Canine’ and ‘Irrational’ followed by 2017 single ‘Google Maps’. Jono then took the reins once more, performing two yet-to-be-released tracks, ‘Tell Me Why’ and untitled song. Sly Withers are one of those bands that are immense fun to sing along with so it felt strange not knowing the words yet, but the two new tracks still gave an exciting insight into what fans can expect from future material!
Jono wrapped up his 3-track run with the 2017 single ‘Closer’ before Sam continued the feels with one of the most popular songs from Gravis, ‘Good Days’ and the witty and relatable ‘Nike Shoe’. Finally, Jono completed the phenomenal set with a couple of outright bangers in ‘Checkout’ and ‘Lately’, featuring local legend Carla Geneve on both the recording… and live!
As Carla and the Sly boys departed the stage to rapturous applause, a booming “One more song!” chant begun. To the delight of the adoring crowd, they returned to stage once again for an incredible hardcore cover of the Backstreet Boys beloved tune, ‘I Want It That Way’.
If you haven’t had a listen to Sly Withers yet, I can not recommend enough that you check them out! And if you’re even remotely a fan of their sound, go see them live! It’s astounding how phenomenal these boys are in person. The passion and electric energy that they perform with is positively infectious.
Big things lie ahead for this talented foursome, with a swathe of new songs and huge tours lined up for 2020. You can even get an early taste in January at the next Falls Festival in Fremantle!
