Live Review: Allah-Las, Donny Love

Winter may be coming, but there was somewhat of a summer revival inside Oxford Art Factory last night. Looking around the room, the yesteryear sound oozing through the amplifiers seemed to release feel-good endorphins among the audience, who were positively mellow and swaying. Support act and Gold Coast mates Donny Love had done a great job amping everyone up with their retro larrikin rock, but Allah-Las put everyone in a much-welcome daze. They transported us to the shores of California with their signature brand of surf-sprayed garage rock.

Hailing from Los Angeles, the four-piece band formed nearly a decade ago (while co-working at the iconic Amoeba Music record store) and this marked their maiden trip to Australia. Unsurprisingly it was mostly sold out, as east coast fans pined to soak up their nostalgic sound live and up-close after all these years.

Allah-Las have three albums under their vintage belt; all released between 2012 and 2016 and all of which enjoyed their time in the sun last night. We heard the warm guitar tones of Catalina and lush instrumental piece Sacred Sands from their debut self-titled LP, while Worship The Sun gave us sweet psychedelic cuts like Had It All and Follow You Down.

Although the lead vocalist is undoubtedly Miles Michaud, for tracks off their latest offering Calico Review the band members rotated singing duties, with drummer Matthew Correia even taking the mic on 200 South La Brea. The sense of collaboration and kinship was palpable on stage, with their harmonies and instrumentation blending impeccably.