As far as final local shows of the year go, I was happy to be spending mine with some artists I’ve loved getting to know more about through 2015. Wasted Wanderers headlined at Jive, braving the Adelaide heatwave in enticing friends and people keen for some live music out of their air-conditioned homes for a few hours on a Friday night.
Conchillia were wrapping up their set when I arrived and although the venue wasn’t packed out for their set, there were still people keen for a dance. With music made for the summer, Conchilla brought the perfect type of music to shake off the work week dread and get people into the mood for the music that was ahead.
Max Savage and The False Idols are most definitely one of my favourite Adelaide bands even though it’s been some time since I’ve been able to see them perform. They’re one of those bands who you’ll try going out of your way to set time aside for and more times than not, you’re not left disappointed. Tonight, the band is once again in fine form and draw more people out on to the dance floor. Max Savage himself is such a strong frontman and his charisma on stage is undeniable. The way he works with the rest of the band as well is so fluid and easy going, which all up makes for a great live show. They bound through some great Americana and soul-soaked music during their set, brilliantly melding some moments of rollicking fun with darker tones as if it was nothing at all. A perfect choice of support act for the Wasted Wanderers, as they are another band who are really locking into this type of musical delivery well.
It’s been a fruitful year for the Wasted Wanderers, they’ve shown considerable development as a live band and the local scene has really responded to them well. Their debut EP highlighted everything that I personally love about the musicians separately; from Dusty‘s earthy vocal, to Matt‘s driving percussion, the Wasted Wanderers project themselves as a spirited band with an old school sound and delivery and live? It’s just as good. The crowd was vibing on every note, bolstered by the presence of Sophie and Brittany Mackay on backing vocals – having them there adds a gorgeous rich texture to the delivery of material, a real highlight of the night.
As the band worked through their material, the show quickly became as much of as jam as it was a proper headlining set, the band bringing out Cosmo Thundercat‘s Anthony Callisto, covering The Beatles and continuing to ensure the crowd was as much involved in proceedings as possible. For one of the band’s final shows of the year (if not, the final), this would’ve been a cool way to wrap things up. For a window of time, the band made the audience forget about the disgusting heat outside and brought us into a live music atmosphere none of us wanted to leave. It’s what you want from a live show.
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