Childsaint / Morgan Bain
Amplifier
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Severe weather warnings and gale force winds didn’t deter people from trekking down to Amplifier to see Little May’s Perth leg of their For The Company tour.
The tiny stage seemed to dwarf Morgan Bain, who stood timidly in the centre with just his guitar, keyboard and synthesiser. The crowd fell silent as he launched into his set, his incredibly powerful voice surprising everyone. Each song started off slowly as Bain mixed soulful vocals with a buzzing keyboard and a throbbing electric drumbeat, eventually culminating into an explosion of sound. Single, Why Don’t You Stay, saw Bain pluck a gentle melody on his guitar with no backing track, with the crowd losing their minds as he belted out impressive notes. Although Bain said he’d be performing with a band later in the year, he proved that you don’t need lots of people onstage to create captivating and beautiful music.
Childsaint were up next, filling the air with dreamy guitar melodies and gentle, harmonised vocals. Despite their fairly innocent demeanour, their songs packed a punch, a buzzing bass line and wailing guitars creating a twisted and sludgy sound. Black Cat saw the girls all sing a round, adding an otherworldly and mystical touch to their aggressive yet innocent lyrics. During Bury Me, Chloe McGrath traded lead vocals for a tambourine, with Jane Azzopardi spitting out words with a poisonous flair. Scuzzy, electronic guitars squealed away as Childsaint launched into their final song and latest release, Hallelujah Heartache, the crowd passionately singing along.
As the effortlessly cool Little May sauntered onto the stage, the crowd surged forward, mentally preparing themselves for an emotional rollercoaster. Frontwoman Hannah Field described their setlist as an ’emotionally charged bushwalk’, an image that was impossible to shake as singer-guitarist Liz Drummond whipped out the acoustic guitar. Midnight Hour saw the band and crowd metaphorically sit around the campfire, as a twangy guitar melody rang out. The title track off their debut album, For The Company, saw a pleasant change from their heavily acoustic set, a soulful song that meshed country vibes with indie-rock sounds. Field was clearly passionate about what she was singing, constantly closing her eyes and grooving along to an instrumental break in Home. No bushwalk would be complete without some classic Australian rock, with the girls covering Great Southern Land by Icehouse, adding their own unique and delicate touch.
Despite Little May’s songs often sounding similar and repetitive, the girls’ bubbly personalities made their polished set fun and enjoyable.
FRANKIE MANN
