The folk at Modular records sure know how to throw a party and with a triple threat line-up that good it was disheartening to see the bandroom barely at half capacity. In spite of the poor showing Jonathan Boulet and co. put on a fantastic performance. Showcasing new material from their forthcoming LP We Keep The Beat, Found The Sound, See The Need, Start The Heart the band were in fine form wowing the crowd with their energetic display.
Boulet was a seemingly reluctant frontman and his awkward banter was amusing but not necessary as his music is strong enough to speak for itself. The polyrhythmic jams are intense live and the band worked together as a cohesive unit to fully immerse themselves and the punters in the sound. Highlights were cracking renditions of “Hallowed Hag”, “This Song Is Called Ragged”, “A Community Service Announcement” and “You’re A Animal”. Their new material is sounding great, leaving much anticipation for the album release in June.
Londoner Adam Bainbridge describes his music as being ‘moody’ and ‘sexy’ and his live show was both in ridiculous measures. The man, who plays under the moniker Kindness oozes charisma and the ladies were swooning as soon as he stepped onstage. Bainbridge is a natural entertainer and his performance was electric with his sexy moves and lofty poses – at one stage he casually draped himself over the foldback speakers for the eager photographers in the front row, playing up to them and the crowd.
Kindness’ live show brought his studio work to life with the music sounding even better live than it does on record. The funky bass and crazed antics from his drummer was enough to get the crowd bopping along with the band as Bainbridge and his backup singers tore the stage apart with their non-stop dance party, pausing only for a moment to sing a gorgeous acapella intro to “Bombastic” before amping it up a notch with a mad version of “House”. Bainbridge brought the love down into the crowd to boogie with the fans before bidding us all a fond farewell with a manic instrumental outro that was met with a thunderous round of applause. To sum it up with a line from my notebook – ‘fuck me and the way he moves, that was unreal’.
There seemed to be a wealth of Tom Vek fans in the house who were rather booze addled and rowdy by the time he finally graced the stage at 12am. Opening with “C-C (You Set The Fire In Me)” it was clear that we were in for a rollicking good time with the punters going nuts for the music. The band were great live with a clear, crisp sound that accentuated Vek’s vocals as he unleashed onstage.
The trio look like the biggest bunch of chess club nerds around but they know how to excite a crowd and pack out a dance floor keeping the vibe at an all time high. Vek and co. were in the midst of a grand rendition of “Nothing But Green Lights” as I had to reluctantly run to catch the last tram home. I’d like to offer a big fist to the local government and their inability to run public transport later then the closing times of most pubs in the CBD. Regardless, the Modular showcase was a fantastic night out with Kindness and the brief 20 minutes I got to witness of Tom Vek’s set proving to be highlights of my musical year thus far as both bands kicked arse on their maiden Australian tour.
