Live Review: Holy Holy, Lanks, Jim Lawrie

 Our love-in starts with Jim Lawrie and his band of mates playing intense indie-rock. Lawrie dedicates an unreleased track to the Holy Holy boys who’ve made an epic dash from Adelaide to perform at Northcote Social Club tonight. The mystery song ends a noticeable hush through the early bird crowd thanks to its sweet and delicate beauty.

Lanks (aka Will Cuming) begins his intriguing, folk-electronica set with help from side-project bandmates on synths and drums. Rises And Falls combines chilled ambience with excellent guitar rock-outs by Cuming, while Green Light sees him whipping out a flute mid-song to pipe away beautifully. Even Holy Holy frontman Timothy Carroll is spotted enjoying this woodwind frenzy from the front rows.

The black stage curtain is pulled dramatically across to allow Holy Holy time to set up and then – 15 minutes later, with the crowd hushed – it’s pulled back dramatically to reveal instruments, microphones and a random stagehand tugging the curtain strings. Holy Holy soon appears to begin this sold-out Melbourne gig. History is quite spectacular performed live. Lead guitarist Oscar Dawson plays the songs’ intricate riffs while Carroll wails through the bridge with his eyes closed, deep in the moment. Since it’s the last night of their national tour, Holy Holy rightfully believe some Neil Young is called for. Southern Man is subsequently covered with an exceptional level of wow factor that impresses all the Young fans present. Country rocker House Of Cards is marked by more ripping riffs from Dawson who is compelling to watch and plays with intense concentration monitoring delicate movements over the strings. Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart recaptures the band’s recent triple j Like A Version magic, which results in whoops and cheers from punters. Carroll confesses the whole experience is “amazing, but terrifying” before putting his guitar down to concentrate on smashing out the vocals. The familiar opening Impossible Like You hook prompts more welcome cheers from the crowd and is simply incredible performed live and loud.

With an album still to come, we await more awesomeness from Holy Holy.