Foster The People, Gang of Youths @ The Palais Theatre, Melbourne (28/07/2014)
Outside the Palasis Theatre it seems that Poseidon himself has been drawn to the Splendour hype. Where else would the freezing sea breeze just outside the doors for tonight's Foster the People sideshow have come from?
Inside, the staff seat everyone underneath the beautifully carved but now obviously warn roof. It proves to be a surprise hit for the night, and surely will be floating around a few Instagram feeds to piss off those without a ticket and/or those with an irrational fear of stone architecture. But tired yet oddly charming roofing isn't why this room is crowded, and Gang of Youths steps out to show the audience where their hype for the night should truly lie. Or try to at the very least. |
Beginning with a riff that is sure to be found on Triple J at one in the afternoon, Gang of Youths make sure that their intro is as ill-fitting as possible for the massive theatre. Playing a brand of indie rock that has been oversaturated since 2008, the five piece don’t bring anything particularly new to the table. The set alternates between a weird mix of country and post-rock with every new song, though the country based stuff is bearable. The real problem comes when with this crescendo-core post rock makes an appearance. Songs seem to trail onward without any progression and just seem like filling space until the next chorus or if you’re unlucky, breakdown. Despite being a Gang of Youths, this is just another case of the same old noise.
Considering that they had the break out track of 2011, there hasn't been big things from the Foster The People camp. New album Supermodels came and left without much of an impact with the exception of Best Friend, so seeing them on the Splendour line-up was a bit of an oddity. Also an oddity: having an act whose main draw play inside a seated theatre with no floor space to move around in. While it didn’t break the show the separation didn’t help it either, with explosive moments like Miss You and Helena Beat suffering greatly as the crowd grew more and more focused on avoiding kicking their seats while dancing rather than the dancing itself. That’s not to say the Palasis shouldn’t hold shows but maybe the future Tori Amos gig is better suited for the venue than the band responsible for the sound of 2011’s Summer.
As anyone who saw the band last tour can tell you, Foster are brilliant at switching their songs up for the live experience. Whether it be an intense EDM interlude during Pumped Up Kicks or a manic percussion set midway through Houdini, it builds up brilliantly on the foundation the album had created. So as Mark Foster danced over to one of the many synths that littered the stage to play the outro of Waste solo, it rings a bit odd and somewhat lacklustre. The same can be said for the next few songs from Supermodel, a fact clearly visible in the crowd.
Momentum only really started building again when Houdini started up with that same breakdown mentioned earlier. And while Pumped Up Kicks raged on onstage, it seemed not even that could summon more than a couple of odd manurers from Foster. The crowd predictably shared his sentiment.
That’s not to say it was all bad though. Miss You served as a false closer with enough power to tear the roofs off of houses in Carlton, and the glitch and folk elements that made a brief appearance during the set show that there’s no need to worry about Foster the People genericising anytime soon. Just maybe they should focus on pumping up their set, unless they plan on taking their songs to heart and truly want to disappear.
Ben Spencer
Considering that they had the break out track of 2011, there hasn't been big things from the Foster The People camp. New album Supermodels came and left without much of an impact with the exception of Best Friend, so seeing them on the Splendour line-up was a bit of an oddity. Also an oddity: having an act whose main draw play inside a seated theatre with no floor space to move around in. While it didn’t break the show the separation didn’t help it either, with explosive moments like Miss You and Helena Beat suffering greatly as the crowd grew more and more focused on avoiding kicking their seats while dancing rather than the dancing itself. That’s not to say the Palasis shouldn’t hold shows but maybe the future Tori Amos gig is better suited for the venue than the band responsible for the sound of 2011’s Summer.
As anyone who saw the band last tour can tell you, Foster are brilliant at switching their songs up for the live experience. Whether it be an intense EDM interlude during Pumped Up Kicks or a manic percussion set midway through Houdini, it builds up brilliantly on the foundation the album had created. So as Mark Foster danced over to one of the many synths that littered the stage to play the outro of Waste solo, it rings a bit odd and somewhat lacklustre. The same can be said for the next few songs from Supermodel, a fact clearly visible in the crowd.
Momentum only really started building again when Houdini started up with that same breakdown mentioned earlier. And while Pumped Up Kicks raged on onstage, it seemed not even that could summon more than a couple of odd manurers from Foster. The crowd predictably shared his sentiment.
That’s not to say it was all bad though. Miss You served as a false closer with enough power to tear the roofs off of houses in Carlton, and the glitch and folk elements that made a brief appearance during the set show that there’s no need to worry about Foster the People genericising anytime soon. Just maybe they should focus on pumping up their set, unless they plan on taking their songs to heart and truly want to disappear.
Ben Spencer