Live Review: Real Estate, The Stevens, Totally Mild

Totally Mild set the tone for the chilled, mild-mannered thrills tonight’s gig offers.

It’s with Elizabeth Mitchell at the helm that the outfit deliver their slightly wonky take on indie-pop. Their soft melodies give their tunes a fragile charm. At times the influence of ‘60s girl groups is obvious. Currently preparing to release their first album Down Time, it seems that we will hear a lot more from the Melbourne quartet this year.

The Stevens kind of look and sound a little like an Australian pub-rock band from the ‘80s that never aged.

They deliver a bright, upbeat set of indie-rock tunes that move in experimental tangents to create a jittery tension that underscores their music. This is complemented by a mix that is a little jagged and raw, while the vocals feel rough and irritable. At times they clearly reflect the brilliance of The Clean. The Stevens have a lot of very short songs. Although they play extended versions, they still manage to squeeze in a lot of tunes. It makes their set feel epic, but the appreciative crowd remains attentive throughout.

Noting that they feel as far away from home as they could possibly get, Real Estate quite proudly declare that they feel completely at home in Australia.

The band play their second sold out show in Melbourne this evening. Bass player Alex Bleeker, who looks as though he’s ready to party, suggests that their show at Howler last night felt like a warm-up for this evening’s festivities. Right from the get-go with Had To Hear all the way through to It’s Real, which concludes their encores, the New Jersey quintet deal a silky smooth set of impossibly dreamy guitar-pop that has punters swooning. While the focus is on last year’s much lauded Atlas album, they play songs from all three of their highly praised albums.

Their sound simply shimmers like a distant mirage on a hot day. They evoke crystal-clear blue skies overhead and a sense of space as you close your eyes to take in the intricate melodies. Meanwhile, gently strummed guitar chords seemingly sprinkle glitter all over the mix. Martin Courtney maintains a shy and reticent presence. He may lack the outgoing personality you would expect from a frontman, but it is hard to resist the spell he casts when he softly delivers his introspective lyrics in anxious, melancholy tones. It appears that band remain friends with Twerps since Marty Frawley guests on guitar when they cover The Feelies’ It’s Only Life. Real Estate’s luscious pop jangles mesmerise the crowd. They are everything Lana Del Rey had in mind when she sang about Summertime Sadness.