Live Review: Eagle & The Worm

Clad in matching attire, down to their ties, The Bluebottles head up proceedings tonight. They take to the stage, bass player with jug of beer in hand. With limited vocal input occurring in the first couple of songs, attention turns to the '70s-centric guitar sounds reverberating around the room. The warm, beach-y vibe The Bluebottles effortlessly emanate helps ease the chill of the evening. Numbers such as Oceanside – complete with a somewhat confused, nevertheless welcome, sense of nostalgia – wash over a cluster of appreciative onlookers. 

It's Melbourne locals Eagle & The Worm's Tuesdays in August residency and the band test the stage's capacity as they squeeze into place. It would seem that the crowd too has expanded although there's still a neat gap up front, perhaps a reminder of what end of the week we're at. The familiarity stemming from rousing renditions of Angela's Lonely Heart and Give Me Time provides an injection of energy before bandleader Jarrad Brown announces new material. Visibility becomes an increasingly rare commodity due to the after effects of overly zealous smoke machine operation. Brown calls out to reassure us that the band is still onstage. The whole atmosphere is so laidback that the audience revels in the humour of the situation, although some must surely be wondering whether such effects are necessary.

Despite this visual distraction, it's easy enough to make out that Eagle & The Worm's new material is fairly polished. A quick observation being that, on first impression, vocal style seems to be taking a new direction. The joys of matching a horn section with memorable guitar riffs, a characteristic of both old and new content, becomes even more apparent during this live performance, the funky vibe almost infectious in nature. As if experiencing a fit of spontaneity instigated by the magic of the horns, Brown calls out to the crowd, asking us to welcome a special guest. It's none other than Saskwatch's Nkechi Anele. As she makes her way through the crowd it becomes distinctly apparent that this is going to be fun. A spirited cover of The Jackson 5's I Want You Back doesn't disappoint, Anele captivating an awestruck audience with her sheer presence. As she climbs down from the stage the gap finally disappears, the threshold between audience and performer having been decisively crossed.