Live Review: Bad Pony, Swim Season

On a freezing night in North Hobart, an ardent crowd turned out in force to welcome two of Australia's most exciting musical prospects. They proved, with scientific accuracy, why percussion is the lifeblood of modern indie.

Support act Swim Season brought a bounce and tropicality that energised an eager audience. With an infectious playfulness, the five-piece from Melbourne simply loved their craft, undeniably vibrant and experimental. Their set culminated in a cover that perfectly epitomises their approach to music, stunning the crowd with a mash-up of Anderson Paak's Come Down and Rage Against The Machine’s Bulls on Parade. That was no typo. Anderson Paak and Rage Against The Machine. It was a perfect segue to the headline act to come.

Bad Pony is an everyman band with a zealous cult following, genuine and joyful to the extreme. Balancing lead vocals and percussion is a feat few artists have been able to master. Even still, the group has no one focal point, with deliberate keyboard work, pleading chants and concentrated guitar. Yet the release of Deficiency marks a departure from the euphoric indie-rock that the Sydney outfit have been playing over the past three years.

Bad Pony has made their purpose very clear with cutting and personal social commentary that is sure to echo true with Australian audiences. A lurching, resonating synth fuses pace with careful production, and it translated perfectly to a live setting. Transitioning between shimmery lounge pop, wailing guitar sections and triumphant falsetto harmonies with aplomb, Bad Pony descended into frenetic jam sessions at just the right time. Lead Jarred Young poured his energy into the crowd and it was reciprocated tenfold. Everyone shook and nodded with elated energy between riffs and choruses, and burst into wild jumping at the climax of the set.

It created a feverish atmosphere, lifting the room with a rare urgency and passion. It left the audience exhausted and a little disoriented, and certainly, excited for what is to come from the Sydney indie-rockers.