Live Review: Poloshirt, Close Counters

Not much seems to happen south of the equator around this time of the year, but thanks to Poloshirt, Hobartian's were thrilled to find a reason to leave their Hobbit holes. If you're now asking yourself, 'To whom is this Poloshirt you speak?', you probably haven't heard the super, great news that Winston of Winston Surfshirt and the lads from Polographia have joined musical forces.

Led by the familiarity of Winston's vocals, Poloshirt's debut track, Pinned Upon, seriously gets you in 'the mood'. Think enchanting reverb-laden vocals, incredibly smooth live production elements and a healthy touch of cowbell low-down in the mix. Elements of soul, hip hop and funk from Winston's previous endeavours, alongside the modern-day electronic interpretations of Polographia, make for a musical match made in heaven. You know, the kind that would happily act as the perfect soundtrack to your Friday night, as well as your Sunday morning.

The gig room at the Waratah Hotel began to fill as soon as the doors opened. This was no doubt to catch hometown heroes Close Counters. The Hobart-born, Melbourne-based duo warmed up the congregation of partygoers perfectly with a number of floor fillers. Bursting with juicy improvised noodlings, Allan McConnell and Finn Rees both switched between Nord, Moog and decks seamlessly, making for a perfect start to get the crowd attuned for what was to come.

After a short interval and line check, amid an eagerly awaiting crowd, Poloshirt took to the stage. The incredibly buttery combination of Winston's smooth vocals and the luxe electronic production works of Polographia, had the whole room right where they wanted us. The real clincher for this reviewer, asides from the obvious charm of having singer/rapper/multi-instrumentalist Winston at the front, was the production elements being played completely live.

Throughout the set, the group played a tasteful combination of Poloshirt tracks from their latest EP, Polographia tracks (including a vibing rendition of Sly) and some of the more well known Surfshirt-numbers from Sponge Cake. An absolute highlight was an arrangement of the Winston Surfshirt track, Ali D. Needless to say, this musical union makes for a great night out and we look forward to what they have in store for us next.