Crooked Colours @ Jack Rabbit Slims
Friday, August 18, 2017
For me, Crooked Colours is the type of music I’ll put on at the end of a night to wind down. Their dulcet tones feel like honeyed waves on an isolated island beach. To be able to garner enthusiasm and a full house at Jack Rabbit Slims is no easy feat but the boys, originally from WA, pulled through.
As they took to the stage bathed in a white blinding light, the alien space sounds of Come Down catapulted them straight into the audience’s open, wanting arms. Front man Phil Slabber’s voice was deeply reminiscence of the record, proving them not just to be the entertainers he claimed they are in interviews, but skilled artists.
A little out of breath and sweaty they thanked us for “listening to it, for buying it, for downloading it” and played us brand new debut album Vera. With the stark high hats and wandering vocals the energy was picked up a fair notch more. While his voice is a pleasant whisper of smoke, it makes it hard to differentiate between each song. Most tracks comprise of a crisp drum line, some jungle-esque instrumentals and a moody murmur of lyrics. Its seduction is hypnotic and tantalizing but is it enough for every song? Is it too much to expect more variance in their sound?
As though those exact thoughts had been read, they brought a ton of heat to the room with a bass-ed up version of Capricious, which was met with raucous applause and cheers. Without any sense of slowing they brought Perth local Macshane to the stage to cover Ivan Ooze’s rap and then some. Although they were seemingly different in vibe and tonality he seemed to kick it even more so with a bit more London hype man and a little less Aussie hip-hop.
Their 8th show into their Australian/ world tour, they seemed comfortable (taking to the stage bare-foot makes you think so) enough to be able to take the rest of Europe by storm.
Words and Photo by
MIA CAMPBELL-FOULKES
