Cloud Control @ Badlands Bar
w/ Tiny Little Houses, Dream Rimmy
Sunday, October 1, 2017
The final show on Cloud Control’s tour was part swansong, part stand-up comedy sesh and part younger sibling appreciation. Supported by Dream Rimmy and Tiny Little Houses, it made for a great night, filled with quirky shenanigans and quality Australian indie rock.
Things kicked off quietly when Dream Rimmy hit the stage, with most of the younger punters drinking and chilling outside – it was a shame there weren’t more people to give a little more love to Dream Rimmy from the beginning. However punters eventually spilled in and Dream Rimmy got a reasonably sizeable, appreciative group of people to enjoy their music.
Coming off as a chill, hippy mom – lead singer Ali Flintoff lightly peppered Dream Rimmy’s set with quips that held an improvisational tone. Not so much as to give off the impression that she didn’t want to be there, but more-so for everyone to chill the fuck out. Coming out loud and wide, the thunderous qualities of the band’s sound echoed across venue and the dreamy qualities of Flintoff’s vocals helped sweeten the deal. Hitting out tracks like Landslide, the band was carefree yet loud and in-your-face. A sweet mixture of contradictions and tension, Dream Rimmy smoothed the gig open.
Tiny Little Houses played their unique blend of tragedy-esque, Gen Y fuzz-rock. Always in their element when they play a heavier sound, there was a rough-and-ready DIY quality to their set, with lead singer Caleb Karvountzis scratching away crunchy guitar chords to emotionally heavy song-lyrics. Things got particularly heavy with the playing of Easy, where the sustained wailing of the lead guitar riff made you stand there in violent introspection, making you rethink your life. Finishing up with cynical ditty Garbage Bin, the rustic qualities of Tiny Little Houses were unforgettable.
When it came time for Cloud Control to have their turn, the whole floor in front of the stage was immediately packed. Opening with Eminem’s Lose Yourself, Cloud Control arrived on stage like a couple of badass thugs. With Alister Wright giving out numerous witticisms across the night, from track puns to garnering crowd support for his younger brother Doug, it was comedic as well as it was musical gold.
Their set list was a nice balance between old and new, keeping the punters on their toes. The crowd got particularly hyped when the band would pull out an old track like Golden Canary or Scar, and it clearly showed that the band hadn’t lost their edge or momentum in the three years since their last tour. Even tracks from the new album Zone didn’t feel out of place. It was if the band had never left.
There was certain sombreness when it came to the end of their set. Being the last song of the last show of their tour you could tell there was reluctance for the band to wrap up. Whether it was the comedic chemistry between Doug and Al, or the smooth vocals of Heidi Lenffer, or even the sound check guy shouting ‘kidneys’ on the mic – there was never a dull moment as they finished up with an encore of The Cranberries’ Dreams.
JOSEPH WILSON
