“Welcome to our first ever Australian show…our first ever southern hemisphere show”.
Everything Everything’s first visit to the country, in the form of a Splendour In The Grass sideshow, was long awaited and highly anticipated, and the eccentric Brits certainly rewarded the adoring sold-out crowd for their loyalty.
On the back of news that the show was completely sold-out, local five-piece Clubfeet took to the stage to deliver their own brand of energetic synth-pop. Eager punters streamed into the venue, providing a packed bandroom for the only support of the night, and the infectious hits such as ‘Cape Town’, which was extended for nearly ten minutes, and ‘Last Words’ ensured they were glad they arrived early.
Set-closer, and fittingly titled, ‘Everything You Ever Wanted’ displayed the full potential of the band that have already delivered two LPs and garnered a strong following that was emphasised by the impressive turnout.
After an overly long break of more than 40 minutes, the lights finally dimmed, complemented by eerie and atmospheric intro music that merged seamlessly into the equally brooding ‘Undrowned’. From the critically acclaimed Arc, it was the perfect opener; slowly building and developing, gradually introducing each of the five band members into the mix before finally breaking into the gratifying concluding refrain.
Any worries about how their unique sound would translate to the live setting were immediately cast away, with Jonathan Higgs’ voicing displaying even more versatility than on their two records. Higgs’ possesses two completely different vocals; being able to deliver powerful and deep lines, while also soaring falsettos that contrast brilliantly with the electronic backing, and this goes a long way to contributing to Everything Everything’s greatest strength: every single song is different.
From the jittery-guitar led ‘Radiant’ to the straight-up dancey ‘Qwerty Finger’ each song has something new to be appreciated, and ensures the set is constantly engaging and interesting.
Arc standout ‘Duet’ saw the first big sing-along from the adoring crowd, and also displayed the vocal abilities of guitarist Alex Robertshaw and bassist Jeremy Pritchard who added to the three-part harmonies.
‘Photoshop Handsome’ was met with perhaps the second biggest cheer of the night, only beaten by the confirmation that this was the band’s first ever visit to Australia, and the Man Alive track eventually descended into a very deliberate, carefully choreographed mess, before quickly being stripped back to just Higgs’ mesmerising vocals.
With an unconventional introduction from the frontman of “from the sublime to the ridiculous, our oldest and stupidest song”, the uninitiated in the audience may have perhaps been slightly surprised by the stadium-rock guitar riffs of ‘Suffragette Suffragette’, but it’s again a testament to the diversity and innovation of the band that’s been making waves in 2013.
After stating that “you guys have been very good to us, thanks for coming”, Higgs announced that “this will be our last tune”, before quickly, in a refreshing bout of honesty revealing that “No it’s not, you know it’s not”.
The anthemic ‘Cough Cough’ provided an uplifting and undeniably catchy and percussive-heavy conclusion to the main set, with Higgs pounding a floor tom and the enthusiastic masses adding claps.
Higgs’ stunning voice, particularly his falsetto, commanded attention across the night and is unquestionably the focal point of the band’s dynamic sound, but every member contributes something crucial, none more so than the constantly inventive drummer Michael Spearman.
After a very short and suspense-less encore break, the obviously overjoyed Brits returned for an encore that included the fan-favourite ‘MY KZ, UR BF’, before concluding with the final track from Arc, ‘Don’t Try’.
The final line of “But we’ll be back” gave hope of a quick return to the packed-crowd who had just witnessed why the band are one the most daring and intriguing bands going around at the moment, with the show encompassing all that Everything Everything are: eccentric, at times challenging, and always interesting rolled up into one highly entertaining and energetic performance.
