Live Review: Ball Park Music, Mid Ayr, Gabriella Cohen

Gabriella Cohen bounces on stage with her band trailing behind. She gathers her two backing vocalists around her mic for a quick warm-up. "I can't wait to play," they sing, jumping up the major scale. Once satisfied, the whole band launch into an action-packed set. Cohen's vocals employ a spoken word style and she's also an exceptional guitarist, leading the band through her psychedelic, Bjork-esque set. Highlight tracks include Beaches and Feelin' Fine. 

Brisbane indie trio Mid Ayr take the stage next. They are an odd fit on the line-up — more mellow and moody compared to the other poppy bands playing tonight. The trio create a full sound despite limited instrumentation and the audience can't help but get lost in the dreamy soundscape they weave. They have a mature sound, think Silversun Pickups with the added melancholy of The Smiths. It's hard to hear frontman Hugh Middleton when he addresses the crowd; his voice is soft and gets lost in the buzz of the talking crowd. Vampires and You Think You Know Me are the standout tracks.

Australian indie-pop royalty Ball Park Music finally hit the stage. The crowd erupts in deafening cheers as the house lights dim. The Brisbane quintet walks out on stage. Frontman Sam Cromack is dressed in a yellow floral kimono over jeans. "How are you?" Cromack screams out to the sold out crowd. "We haven't done a headliner show in Melbourne for a while and it's absolutely beautiful to be here at Howler." With the introductions made, they launch into their first two songs, iFly and Literally Baby.

There is a beautiful duality to their songs. On the surface, these are happy tracks with a danceable beat and catchy hook. However, the songwriting explores some darker themes: relationship problems (She Only Loves Me When I'm There and Surrender), anxiety (Next Life Already) and the difficulty of being an adult (Coming Down). Every song is greeted with cheers of excitement and a giant singalong. The audience doesn't stop moving, all packed together on the sweaty dancefloor. They finish off the set with a beautiful cover of Elvis classic Can't Help Falling In Love and their own Cocaine Lion. Ball Park Music turn Howler into a rave.