Brisbane group Pigeon have been doing the hard yards for years now. Travelling the country, supporting countless bands, playing festivals and releasing two EPs along the way, including their latest, Settle In, which was released at the end of January. Last night, the tour to celebrate its release arrived in Sydney, with a headlining performance at the Brighton Up Bar on Oxford Street, seeing the band showcase tracks new and old, and giving us a taste of their popular Daft Punk medley along the way.
It’s interesting that the band chooses to pay tribute to the great French electronic duo, because the five piece from Brisbane do exist in a very similar world. They traverse a variety of genres, with the resulting product balanced between the electronic and rock worlds, with a comfortable dose of disco thrown in for good measure. And a very welcome amount of saxophone, too, such as in the single “Oh Hebe”.
Having been together for three years, it’s understandable that the group are as tight as they come. The music is well oiled and rehearsed, sure (even though they say they don’t get too much time to practice together), but it comes across as fresh and exciting each time they hit the stage. It helps that their music enjoys a good amount of “jams” along the way, where each member adds to the percussion of the track… and whatever else they can pick up along the way.
Tracks like recent single “Two Moon Love” and “Curtain Call” showcase the band member’s talents in the finest form, as they jump between guitars and percussion with ease, all the while keeping everyone in the room dancing. But it was the aformentioned medley that saw the band at their most impressive and well received. That’s not to say anything less of their own material; but this is where the band are able to really show off and get the party movin’.
Danny’s guitar work was impeccable, and their interpretations of the tracks, which flowed from “One More Time” to “Around The World”, “Robot Rock”, “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and then back to where it all it started, were nothing short of impressive. It makes you wonder why Daft Punk haven’t been playing with a band all along…
Maybe they could call up Pigeon next time they’re in town.
Though lead vocalist and guitarist Danny Harley has recently seen success with his other project The Kite String Tangle, tonight’s show gives us a sign that there is still a strong future for the Brisbane five piece. And so there should be. This is a tight electronic band existing in a climate where electronic artists are at the forefront of the local industry. But, like Gotye and The Basics, the success of one doesn’t beget the other, so only time will tell if Pigeon will see a flow on effect from fans of Danny’s other project or if they will continue to grow in popularity in their own right (as they deserve). But either way, the crowds that are seeing Pigeon live are loving every minute, which isn’t too hard to do. Pigeon are easily one of the country’s finest live acts and with another fantastic EP under their belts, here’s hoping they keep fighting the good fight…
The band continue their tour at Brisbane’s Alhambra Lounge tonight with Back Back Forward Punch and Zaped, ahead of shows at the end of the month in Melbourne and Adelaide, at Boney on the 27th and Rocket Bar on the 28th, respectively. For more information and tickets, visit http://www.pigeonofficial.com/. Their new EP Settle In is available now. Grab it on iTunes here: https://itunes.apple.com/album/settle-in-ep/id780252069
