Live Review: Holy Holy, CLEWS, San Mei

Tim Carroll and Oscar Dawson, the dynamic duo behind the indie-rock outfit Holy Holy, have hit the road once again, this time to promote their new single Faces. Opening for the boys is indie-pop princess San Mei and alternative folk/rock duo CLEWS.

The first venue of the Queensland leg of the tour is the Sunshine Coast’s own Solbar. San Mei takes the stage as the first few people begin to trickle in and by the time she begins her first tune, a crowd is formed. In spite of some obvious nerves, the Gold Coast local showed off her cascading vocals, delivering a dreamy cover of MGMT as well as a selection of originals.

Next up is CLEWS, made up of sisters Lily and Grace Richardson. They launch straight into a harmony-filled set, punctuated by belting vocals, punchy drum beats and rock-soaked guitar. A highlight of the performance occurs in the form of their new hit Crushed; the single’s huge sound fills the backroom of Solbar and reverberates through the now packed crowd.

Holy Holy take the stage right on time. They kick things off with some crowd favourites including That Message and Willow Tree. The boys are a ball to watch as per usual and it’s obvious that they have found a second home on the stage, with Carroll busting out some shoulder shimmying moves and Dawson vibing out with the front row. After warming up the crowd with some oldies, they reveal that they have been working on their third album (which is nearing completion) and treat the crowd to one of the upcoming singles. The boys have reportedly decided to take a different approach to the next album, opting not to write any of the tracks on a guitar and move towards a more produced, layered sound. If the tracks they debut tonight are anything to go by, this is a move the boys have pulled off seamlessly. 

The CLEWS sisters join the boys on stage to deliver an epic rendition of new single Faces and an unreleased banger apparently called 'Teach Me About Dying'. The crowd is then treated to some old favourites including the band’s Like A Version cover of Beyoncé’s Hold Up and their own celebrated tune, True Lovers. To close the show CLEWS join the boys again for an epic, slow-building performance of History.

Holy Holy are a band that embodies what music and performance should be. Starting out as a guitar-wielding, singer-songwriting duo, the boys developed a bigger, more complex sound on their second album and the new tracks that were debuted tonight promise further development and experimentation for their third album. Their refusal to reproduce the same sound over and over, album after album, combined with an obvious love for performance is what makes Holy Holy one of the best bands the Australian music scene has to offer. So keep your eyes peeled, if tonight was anything to go by, this next album will be the best yet.