Live Review: Husky, Twin Beasts

Icons of music stare down from Rolling Stone magazine covers stuck to the walls of The Workers Club, which currently serves as Rolling Stone Australia’s Live Lodge.

Twin Beasts start their loud, raucous and hyperactive performance with Fool’s Gold, a track that allows lead singer Guiliano Ferla to wail like a gospel preacher with his hands in the air. I’m No Good, a song co-lead singer Dan Hawkins describes as “all about being a cheating son of bitch”, adds a sombre note, but the pace picks back up with a jaunty cover of Dolly Parton’s Jolene. After a punter requests some Parton-esque yodeling, Ferla tries hard to inspire crowd members to sing along to The Lonely Goatherd from The Sound Of Music. Thank god it fails.

The sublime Husky begin with Dark Sea then move straight into debuting tracks off soon-to-be released second album Ruckers Hill. Punters are introduced to these mellow, indie-folk tracks featuring rich vocal harmonies and intricate keys played by Gideon Preiss. Gold In Her Pockets leaves lead singer Husky Gawenda with a sweet smile of glee, while the gentle finger picking acoustic track Deep Sky Diver gets punters quietly swaying along. Gawenda expresses dismay at the crowd being “so quiet, it’s weird”, and drummer Arron Light reprimands us by quipping, “You’re not reading Rolling Stone, you’re watching it.” The new album’s anthem-like title track is epic and uplifting enough to inspire noisy applause. But a muted response to History’s Door makes Gawenda shake his head in disbelief, saying, “I can’t believe you guys.” I’m Not Coming Back at last gets some clapping and singing along happening, which is much more to Gawenda’s liking.

Finishing off with Heartbeat, a track Gawenda confesses is all about a drug trip (“Whoops” he says, “I meant road trip”), the foursome gather around two mics and sing harmonies on this striking, acoustic-only number. They look every bit like a hipster, indie-folk choir. Preiss is excited to get off stage and begin the Husky DJ set and he’s the first one to pop out of the green room and start spinning some old school funk and soul numbers.

Zoned-out punters are by that stage in no mood to party and instead slip out the door or drink quiet pints around the bar. It’s nothing personal, Husky; your chilled-out, gorgeous and reflective gig has made us too blissed-out to dance.