LIVE REVIEW: Holy Holy's wholesome tour

Holy Holy’s My Own Pool of Light tour was always going to be a stellar experience, but little did we know that our hearts were to also be stolen by their supporting act Almond Soy.

Kicking starting the night at the beautiful Astor Theatre, Almond Soy opened and immediately, we knew something was different about them. Their live mixer had the such a wholesome, contagious smile that it had half of the front row filming and taking photos of him. It was truly heartwarming. I’ve never seen anyone so happy to be performing before, and his smile got everyone else in the band and audience grinning away. Even though the band did not have their usual electric guitarist (with ex-Wooly Mammoth’s Christian filling in), they still played the house down with their infectious indie anthems, with the audience loving every single moment.

Perth’s very own Carla Geneve was due to come out next, opening with ‘Empty Stomach’. Her whole vibe was very relaxed, with her singing on stage barefoot. There is no denying the talent in her voice, however, in light of the evening, the set did feel somewhat out of place, being a little too heavy and too melancholic after the jovial Almond Soy. Carla ended in style on her knees, dropping her guitar to the floor and walking off like a rock star.

Enshrouded in a hazy pink light, Holy Holy emerged to ‘Elevator’, soon followed by ‘That Message’. There was an amazing presence oozing from the very start, with a complete humbleness surrounding songwriters Tim and Oscar. They revealed that the first half of the album was written consecutively in one creative flow, and so that was the order they were going to play it in – running from ‘Maybe You Know’ all the way through to ‘Sandra’.

The guitar work by both of the boys was insanely impressive, as was their accompanying drummer and guitarist. The chanting of the backtracking mixed with the fog and lighting made for a truly otherworldly set. Old favourites such as ‘Sentimental and Monday’ mixed well with the new album, creating a beautiful nostalgic vibe.

Halfway through the set, Carla Geneve came back onto a greenly illuminated stage as they sang their Like A Version cover of Lorde’s ‘Green Light’, which was joyfully received by the crowd. Thereafter, Oscar brought out the piano for ‘Starting Line’, followed by crowd favourite ‘Darwinism’.

Of course, the set ended with the band’s biggest 2018 hit ‘True Lovers’, with the entire of Astor Theatre singing and clapping along. With shouts of “Encore! Encore! Encore!” the pair emerged again with Carla Geneve to finish the night off with ‘Frida’ and ‘Teach Me About Dying’. This had nearly everyone hoarse from shouting along to the chorus, which they echoed on the way after the band was finally finished.

Holy Holy did not fail to bring the house down, by having us all truly bask in their own pool of light.