Live Review: The Lumineers, DD Dumbo

The past few years has seen a resurgence of a folk-rock revival that fuses the Americana sounds of yesteryear with the oh so popular indie-folk genre. British band Mumford & Sons really kicked the revival into gear with their banjo-toting ways, but Colorado outfit The Lumineers is probably the most fitting American counterpart, having taken the world by storm the past 18 months with their rustic tunes.

From what this reviewer saw of DD Dumbo, they are shaping up to be a band to watch this year, with a strong performance from this fledgling group. Their track, Tropical Oceans, was well-received by the crowd and is definitely one hell of a catchy number.

Showing just what exemplars they are to the folk rock revival, five-piece The Lumineers came dressed in their best suspenders, hats and checkered shirts to perform a set that delightfully showcased their abilities as musicians and performers, more so than their aptitude for mimicking Newtown hipsters.

Starting with the bouncy Submarines, the band effortlessly moved through a set list that they've obviously become accustomed to over the past year or so touring their self-titled album. They ticked the boxes for a good live show, with a confidence and ease that has developed tenfold over the last year as they smashed through a rousing cover of Sawmill Joe's Ain't Nobody's Problem and had the audience singing loudly on crowd favourite, Ho Hey. Their contribution to the latest Hunger Games soundtrack, Gale Song, also stirred the right amount of excitement in a crowd eagerly lapping up anything the band threw at them.

There were moments through the night where their old-timey shtick did become a little too kitschy, and at these times The Lumineers risked appearing as an almost parody of themselves. Their overwrought cover of Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues was an intense butchering of a very simple song; likewise their unplugged version of Classy Girls, whilst a nice idea, logistically didn't cut it within the theatre, creating a void of silence that was every so often interrupted by the strained vocals of leading man Wesley Schultz.

It was however refreshing to see a band with such a high level of enthusiasm, especially towards the end of such a long tour run. Their unabashed delight as the crowd happily sang along to Dead Sea, or their chaotic toe-tapping in the stirring Big Parade were very much evidence of a group of people ecstatic to be doing what they're doing.