LIVE REVIEW: Crooked Colours @ Metropolis Fremantle
Those heading along to Crooked Colours’ Fremantle show were very lucky indeed, as their shiny second album Langata had just dropped the same morning amidst their huge Australian tour.
Making patrons even luckier that night were the remarkably strong support acts. Bringing some Jungle-esque vibes to Metropolis Fremantle were Perth duo Kayex who stirred up an incredible party early on. Their rendition of ‘Feel Good Inc.’ by Gorillaz was a fitting introduction to the night, with ‘My Friends’ and ‘The Get Up’ allowing everyone to let loose. The interaction between the two mates and the rest of Metros was truly fiery.
With a no-nonsense attitude, Nyxen dived into heavy instrumental while immersing everyone in the process. With oceanic remixes of ‘Sweet Disposition’ and ‘Sexual Healing’ in the mix, the carefree vibe of the room simply kicked up a notch. Despite a couple of troubles with the mic volume, Nyxen’s voice wasn’t lost on the crowd. Finally playing her famed originals ‘Chains’ and ‘In The City,’ to, it was clear she’d left the best for last.
By the looks of everyone in the room, it seems as if we’d all ascended a stairway to heaven with varying tastes of local talent on offer. Australian music is a rich feast, and there is no doubt about that (though I might hold a particular bias towards homegrown bands).
Of course, Crooked Colours was up next as the main course.
As a rookie listener of Crooked Colours’ music, I was pleasantly thrown off guard to find that their mellowness on record translated into a whole new soundscape live. Loud, impassioned and drum-heavy would do best to describe it. As Crooked Colours took their stand, the crisp, lingering vocals of Philip Slabber paired beautifully alongside their synth-filled melodies. Known banger ‘Come Back To You’ started us off easy, with ‘Hold On’ getting the audience straight to bouncing off the rails.
Even more than that, the insane drumming of Liam Merrett-Park — particularly during ‘Do It Like You’ and ‘Plymouth’ — was more than enough to win everyone over. As the love of the audience heightened and the upbeat tempo of ‘I Hope You Get It’ progressed, almost everyone could ‘feel [their] soul drift’.
As expected, many new tracks flew fresh off Langata. The trio excitedly played their single ‘Just Breathe’ for the very first time live, along with ‘Mirror Ball’ and their Like A Version cover of ‘Suga Suga’ to shake things up. Gaps in the audience tightened, drinks were spilt and attempts to push to the front grew eager, but it was all (quite frankly) justified. Their brand new track ‘Never Dance Alone’ (featuring Ladyhawke) sounded especially amazing live, and as a great quirk, was super reminiscent of The xx.
As for fans new and old alike, it was one hell of a listening experience to witness the firsthand beauty of Langata live.
