Live Review: Gold Fields, Phebe Starr, This Mess

Local electronica duo This Mess kept the genre fresh by mixing hints of hip hop beats and clear, soulful yet dissonant live vocals into their sample-fuelled DJ set. Heavy Head had the best distribution of layering, melody and a great steel drums effect beat while the blend of sample loops and live vocals on their remix of Archangel's Burial was great. 

Electro-popstress Phebe Starr was echoing and ethereal… like a star. Although drawing on a Bjork/Sia type presence, there was no real bang to her set and the small Wollongong crowd became restless. Her second last ballad The Worst Part was where she really connected, showcasing her beautiful lower register and a pumping slow-mo beat towards the end.

The addition of a full kit of percussion to the standard rock band set-up is what set Ballarat's Gold Fields way apart from their contemporaries. Drummer Ryan D'Sylva (wearing a Cats tee) and keyboardist/percussionist Rob Clifton traded beats back and forth and the almost constant syncopated cowbell and jungle drum rumble that fuelled their momentum in the breakdowns was uplifting. 

Lead vocalist Mark Robert Fuller chipped his front tooth on the microphone a few songs in and was seemingly in a fair bit of discomfort but he pulled it together well with echoing falsetto vocals drawing on '80s dream pop. 

The band kept up a constant tirade of tracks with instrumental transitions between songs that kept the crowd dancing. From opener Thunder, with plenty of harmonies, to audience favourite, Treehouse, the band put in the energy for an explosive show and even got a pretty respectable hand clap going during You're Still Gone. The song structures and vibe got a bit repetitive towards the end of the set but their last track Moves was on point. 

With no hint of an encore, the UniBar proved a timid audience and it was an intimate show for the rising stars. As a credit to Gold Fields, they made it work.