Live Review: Portugal. The Man

On paper, it seemed too good to be true – a free Portugal. The Man gig in Whitfords? What the hell? Thanks to the sponsorship by Corona, it was even better than anyone could have anticipated.

As a local resident, this reviewer was feeling a little sceptical of the entire thing; the last check in at this venue, it was a dingy, dark restaurant that, truth be told, held little appeal as far as live music goes. Since then, new management has transformed the venue into an amazing looking beach bar, and it proved to cater perfectly toward the vibe of the evening. The night was warm, the beers were cold, and the crowd continued to build in anticipation as the sun set over the horizon.

It was a little after 7.30 that Portugal. The Man kicked off their performance, launching into the set with Purple Yellow Red & Blue, one of the biggest songs in their catalogue, but one that would quickly work the crowd into a groove. Second track All Your Light showcased the versatility of the group, who seamlessly incorporated elements of soul, grunge, grime and rock with soaring vocals and heavy guitar riffs that had front punters swinging their bodies in full motion. Guitarist Zach Carothers was the only member of the band who had anything to say throughout the set, making the crowd aware of the band’s jetlag, but nonetheless expressing how much fun the band was having on their stint in the state’s south-west. A sneaky cover of Oasis’ Don’t Look Back In Anger had the crowd swaying and singing along in unison, while popular tracks So American and Atomic Man coming one after the other evoked roars of approval and kept everyone on their toes. Final track Creep In A T-Shirt seemed to come about relatively quickly, despite the band playing for an hour and a quarter – it produced a special effort from the happy go-lucky crowd.

By the time the band had wrapped up, the clock had just ticked over to 8.45. Call me a grandpa, but hey, it was great to have a band finish off a set and allow you time to get home and chill out, fully knowing you weren’t going to wake up the next morning feeling like shit because of a hangover or lack of sleep. I don’t know where this run of gigs came from, but it would be amazing to see Corona putting them on again soon, regardless of who plays.