Live Review: Lowtide, Roku Music, Cassette Cathedral, Kigo

Brisbane’s Kigo make a bold and confronting impression not only with their sound, but also the addition of pervading strobe light effects, which of course rapidly flash on and off for the duration of their set. Because Dwayne Pearce, the band’s creator, writes his music in his dreams, it becomes an interesting experience to close your eyes and let the sounds and strobes wash over you and take you to another place – this is a powerful and dynamic start to the evening that unfortunately few are present to witness.

The youthful quartet that is Cassette Cathedral are next to take the stage, bringing a heavy artillery to the fray – around six different guitars (an acoustic included), four large and loaded pedal effects boards, and drums. The band are incredibly tight and while there are a few minor sound issues at the beginning of their set, all is redeemed by the end, notably with the highly catchy and sway-inducing rendition of You Tell Me What I Want To Hear.
Before Roku Music’s set begins, guitarist Donovan Miller instructs the sound engineer to turn the reverb as high as it can go, indicating the band will definitely be keeping in line with tonight’s shoegaze theme.

Their wealth of live experience is evident from the get-go, as with merely a look to each other, the five-piece kick off in complete synchronicity, instantly bombarding punters with a layered wall of sound. Compared to the bands that have come before, theirs is a slightly darker and sludgier tone, which is balanced with the serene vocals of Innez Tulloch. We’re treated to the mesmerising and intoxicating sounds of many tracks from their debut album released earlier this year, including its namesake Collider and Ended.

The venue is pumped full of smoke and blue lights are shone, creating both warmth and a cooling effect as the backdrop for the headlining performance. Lowtide are a band that apparently know you can never have too much bass, as both vocalists Giles Simon and Lucy Buckeridge are each wielding a four-stringed beast tonight, leaving Gabriel Lewis to control the lead and rhythmic section. They kick off with the opening track of their self-titled LP (which they’re here to promote) Whale which acts as a gorgeous introduction to their sound – the beautiful blending of vocals, the hazy, faraway guitar and the soft and supple complementing beats.

They then flow into the second single from the album Held which has a much peppier sort of vibe, before they slow the pace down once more for Still Time. Lowtide create a completely enchanting and mesmerising experience with their set, leaving punters hoping they’ll return to our city again in the near future.