Ball Park Music & San Cisco @ Fremantle Arts Centre
w/ Ruby Fields
Saturday, October 6, 2018
In a soul capturing evening at the Fremantle Arts Centre, co-headliners Ball Park Music and San Cisco lit up the historic grounds with a large-scale emotion laden performance. Before a sea of indie rock enthusiasts, the two bands put on an unforgettable show displaying a broad range of styles and sounds.
As San Cisco performed in the comfort of their home town of Fremantle, the local fans sang along with devotion laced screams. The stage glowed red beneath the banner of their latest single When I Dream, and their iconic, quirky vintage style was on full display. Their boppy pop tunes were a little low in energy throughout the show, however, this was explained after lead vocalist Jordi Davieson revealed their grief at having to say goodbye that morning to a friend who recently passed. In response, their crowd rallied together swaying, dancing and cheering in unison for their local heroes who hit the notes with absolute practiced perfection. I admire the band for their strength and ability to unleash such emotion into their slower tracks all while maintaining such an on-point set.
The band’s performance of Beach from 2012 was the highlight of their set for this avid gig-goer. With emotions running high, it brought an intense atmosphere between the crowd, historical buildings and an overwhelming sense of home. Their quirky vibes flowed off the stage with tracks like Fred Astaire and Too Much Time Together which had the audience abuzz and excited for the rest of the night.
Ball Park Music entered onto the stage, received with a raging roar from the audience. No strangers to being on the receiving end of Perth’s intense love for indie rock and quirky tunes, frontman Sam Cromack greeted the band’s fans with grace. Cromack’s energy flared midway through the set when Hands Off My Body from their latest album Good Mood kicked into gear (clearly a favourite tune of his to perform).
Their stage presence commanded the crowd’s attention and surprisingly seemed to absorb people enough to keep their smartphones out of the sky remain present throughout the show. Exactly How You Are and The Perfect Life Does Not Exist were the two tunes off their 2018 album that really reached the audience. For a small moment in time it felt like the whole of Fremantle was singing along with the simple but heart felt lyrics about the intricacies of life.
It was clear that the Ball Park Music fanbase present at this gig were long-term devotees, as songs like It’s Nice To Be Alive and Literally Baby from their 2011 album Happiness And Surrounding Suburbs had people banded together screaming the lyrics with pride. As with every Ball Park Music gig I’ve ever been to, the emotion-laden track Coming Down brought a tear to my eye simply via the grace of the band’s delivery.
They’re two of Australia’s most celebrated bands of late and individually they absolutely blew up the stage with mind blowing sets. I hope all of Fremantle could hear the spectacle that was unfolding.
SARAH DAY
Photos by Adrian Thomson
