Live Review: Holy Holy, The Mountains, The British Blues

The British Blues opened the night with their particular take on alt-folk. Guitarist Matt Dewar laid on atmospheric, reverb-heavy guitar leads around lofty harmonies and insistent rhythms. Their soaring sound was crunched a little in the space, with keyboardist and Bluejuice frontman Jake Stone not making an appearance on the small stage. There's a cleanness and smoothness that echoes vanilla folk acts like Fleet Foxes, but songs often felt indistinguishable from each other, occasionally washing together and lacking some liveliness. 2001, their lead single, improved in the live environment however, with melodic variations and a new thickness.

 

Sydney-based The Mountains were on next. Their early set featuring a suite of slower, epic jams, heavy on the crash and a cracking snare. Onstage however, the band wasn't really managing to emulate the energy coming from the songs. In sections they showed the intensity they were capable of, but there was occasionally too much emphasis on trying to be hip, and not enough on just trying to be good. But while some of the performance may have felt a little lukewarm, the band nailed 1984 and Amends, two really solid new songs. 

 

Holy Holy came on with an obvious change, with a more assured approach and maturity in songcraft, a reflection of their greater experience as musicians. Guitarist Oscar Dawson played reverb-heavy, cavernous guitar leads, all full of atmosphere, while Brisbane-based singer Timothy Carroll rose over intricate band arrangements. Songs benefitted from Ryan Strathie (Hungry Kids Of Hungary) on drums and Graham Ritchie (Emma Louise) on bass really getting into it.