The Jezabels, Gang of Youths @ The Palais Theatre, Melbourne (02/05/2014)
Sydney disco rockers The Jezabels were in Melbourne Friday night to demonstrate just why they’ve earned the right to play at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre.
Swinging through Victoria as part of the 2014 Groovin’ The Moo tour, the four-piece dominated a ninety-minute set to a wonderfully mixed crowd of old and young. Despite this band having been together since 2007 and have played at incredible venues across the globe, it was clear they felt incredibly humbled to be on this particular stage.
The curtain dropped and here came that familiar sound of The Jezabels synthesisers. Keys player Heather Shannon led the way with drummer Nik Kaloper, and were shortly followed by guitarist Samuel Lockwood as they began the intro to The Brink.
Joining the stage next was the mesmerising Hayley Mary; head to toe all black and a shimmering sequin blazer, the spectacular stage lights bounced off her into an admiring audience. Her stage presence was captivating, and by the end of the first song had requested us all to get up on our feet, where we stood for the entire ninety-minute set.
The recognizable tone of Endless Summer had the entire theatre sharing a boogie that carried on into new tracks like Time to Dance and Look of Love. Hayley expressed her gratitude and was pleased by the enthusiasm, something the Sydney audience had previously lacked from their show at the Opera House on April 28th.
Each member’s stage presence was exceptional. While Hayley’s entertaining dance moves and undeniably exquisite voice, I was captivated most by what Nik Kaloper was doing on the drums. The way he held everything together so tight and precisely was exceptional, and there was a sense of competition between the drumming and the vocals in regards to what truly carried the foundation of each track.
A truly exciting and uplifting performance came to a close and had the audience wanting more. A standing ovation and cheering for an encore saw Hayley and Heather return to the stage to do a completely stripped performance of their track Disco Biscuit Love. Hayley warned us that they hadn’t played the song in a very long time and would most likely need assistance to remember both the words and the chords. Contrary to her statement, the pair performed it without fault and provoked emotion in both them and the audience.
The rest of the band returned to the stage to close with obvious crowd favourite Easy to Love. Never before had the chance to see this band live, and as soon as they started playing together I kicked myself for waiting so long to do so. My most sincere congratulations go out to all four members for mastering their instruments in such a way I’d never witnessed and reiterating why they are one of the best bands in Australia.
Maddie Stephenson
Swinging through Victoria as part of the 2014 Groovin’ The Moo tour, the four-piece dominated a ninety-minute set to a wonderfully mixed crowd of old and young. Despite this band having been together since 2007 and have played at incredible venues across the globe, it was clear they felt incredibly humbled to be on this particular stage.
The curtain dropped and here came that familiar sound of The Jezabels synthesisers. Keys player Heather Shannon led the way with drummer Nik Kaloper, and were shortly followed by guitarist Samuel Lockwood as they began the intro to The Brink.
Joining the stage next was the mesmerising Hayley Mary; head to toe all black and a shimmering sequin blazer, the spectacular stage lights bounced off her into an admiring audience. Her stage presence was captivating, and by the end of the first song had requested us all to get up on our feet, where we stood for the entire ninety-minute set.
The recognizable tone of Endless Summer had the entire theatre sharing a boogie that carried on into new tracks like Time to Dance and Look of Love. Hayley expressed her gratitude and was pleased by the enthusiasm, something the Sydney audience had previously lacked from their show at the Opera House on April 28th.
Each member’s stage presence was exceptional. While Hayley’s entertaining dance moves and undeniably exquisite voice, I was captivated most by what Nik Kaloper was doing on the drums. The way he held everything together so tight and precisely was exceptional, and there was a sense of competition between the drumming and the vocals in regards to what truly carried the foundation of each track.
A truly exciting and uplifting performance came to a close and had the audience wanting more. A standing ovation and cheering for an encore saw Hayley and Heather return to the stage to do a completely stripped performance of their track Disco Biscuit Love. Hayley warned us that they hadn’t played the song in a very long time and would most likely need assistance to remember both the words and the chords. Contrary to her statement, the pair performed it without fault and provoked emotion in both them and the audience.
The rest of the band returned to the stage to close with obvious crowd favourite Easy to Love. Never before had the chance to see this band live, and as soon as they started playing together I kicked myself for waiting so long to do so. My most sincere congratulations go out to all four members for mastering their instruments in such a way I’d never witnessed and reiterating why they are one of the best bands in Australia.
Maddie Stephenson