The Babe Rainbow @ Mojos Bar
w/ Stephen Bailey, Carla Geneve
Thursday, August 2, 2018
After the release of Double Rainbow in July, The Babe Rainbow kicked off their Double Rainbow Australian tour. The Byron Bay 5-piece have toured internationally and produced two successful albums, an EP and a series of singles which have been well-received. The band has a strong fan base and expectations were high as excited gig-goers rolled into Mojos on a Thursday night.
Carla Geneve opened the show, performing a series of folk rock-styled original material with impressive vocals and a warm guitar sound. Carla is an excellent female artist who has recently received recognition for her work and has performed at festivals including Falls, Groovin’ The Moo and WAMFest. She performed without a backing band, and produced a strong and impressive sound with just her voice and guitar.
Stephen Bailey (Mt. Mountain frontman and recent solo artist) was on next, presenting a series of material from the album Silo, and performing with a backing band. Bailey defines himself as surf rock, but has more of a psych pop/folk sound. His solo sound is vastly different from his work with Mt. Mountain which is more post rock and drum-heavy.
The band performed well together, creating a dreamy yet upbeat sound and vibe, with Bailey’s echoey, sweet vocals creating a unique sound. Bailey performed original material including Number 9, Country Song, Blue Eyes, Day Dreamer, Hyde, Day 6, Polyester Vision, Demure and Distance.
At 10.30pm Mojos was at full capacity. The show was completely sold out with ticketless fans still seeking entry. The Babe Rainbow rolled in and completely changed the atmosphere at Mojos to a sunny, peaceful vibe, inspired by late-60s California.
Everything about The Babe Rainbow is groovy, fashionable and exciting—their hair, clothes, glitter, movement, and importantly, their sound. The ’60s hippy-inspired, surf influenced five-piece produced a retro sounding, soul soothing, smooth sound, and create an exciting and peaceful vibe of hippy-inspired, surf-induced optimism. Their take on Donovan-inspired flower pop gives them a retro sound, and their songs are good natured and exciting, with spry riffs, boogie tones and captivating vocals. A listener just feels great hearing this band live.
Frontman Angus moved around and swayed to his sound, and shook maracas and tambourines. His movement and energy was contagious and he really captured the audience with his presence. The band dressed in an amazing retro style, with skivvys, light pop-art colours, high-waisted patterned pants and facial glitter.
What I adore about this band is that they have an established image, genre and theme. They know what they are presenting on stage and in albums, and have a clear identity. They are sure of themselves and have a presence and confidence on stage. They understand the importance of imagery and are consistent in what they put out there.
The band played a series of material from Double Rainbow, as well as earlier hits such as Peace Blossom Boogy, Johny Says Stay Cool, and Charms Travel.
The Babe Rainbow are a great Australian talent and their performance on Thursday night demonstrated this. To close the set, part of the audience were on stage with the band grooving, showing the clear admiration Perth (and particularly Fremantle) audience has for this band.
Words and photos by
ALEXIA LARCHER
