Live Review: Gang Of Youths, Flooded Palace, Oakland

Jimmy’s Den was packed with plenty of punters who were excited see Sydneysiders Gang Of Youths.

The fact the venue was a former gambling den added a hint of clandestine nostalgia to the gig, allowing the crowd to get up close and personal with the music in a cosy space. The first band to kick off night was indie rock quintet Oakland, who eased the punters into a smooth descent of clean indie tones and nascent anticipation, Into The Sea a stand-out track from their performance, a combination of lilting reverb and strong beats helping Oakland create a lasting impression.

Local act Flooded Palace were up next, settling the crowd into a haze of folk vibes with just a hint of upbeat rock. The starkest feature of the band’s set was lead singer Todd Pickett’s vocals. Sharp and succinct, his voice helped illustrate the mood of the songs, which ranged from self-contemplation in I’ll Be Missing You to the hopeful upbeat Ethanol, all wrapped in a neat, bleak folkie package. Gentle yet slightly provoking, Flooded Palace impressed with their sombre lyrical content and instrumental cocktail of emotional folk.

Gang Of Youths then brought the show into full swing, injecting a dose of inexhaustible energy to the Den. Providing a generous amount of addictive rhythms and catchy lyrics, the crowd was compelled to go absolutely mental, singing in unison every time a wild chorus appeared. Due to the small stage size, the band’s arrangement was Tetris-like in nature. However, this only intensified the experience for the crowd. Between songs, singer David Le’aupepe would, as every east coast band does, provide ceremonial flattery on how great the west coast was. The start of their set was filled with songs like Poison Drum and Benevolence Riots, all bouncy rhythms that were complemented with Le’aupepe’s melodic vocals. Radioface and Magnolia exemplified the band’s ability to get the crowd moving, the former arguably the highlight of their performance, with the close of the song ending in a flurry of noise and distorted, fuzzed-out joy. The band finished their performance with an encore of an Alice Cooper cover, which, with the charismatic antics of Le’aupepe regularly getting up close with the crowd, left a sizeable impression on the west coast inhabitants this time around.