Live Review: The Kite String Tangle, Close Encounters

Spring had decided to make an early appearance for The Kite String Tangle’s sold-out show at Hobart’s Republic Bar.

After a welcome day of sunshine, the crowd was ready to dance and eager to kick off a big night. The man behind The Kite String Tangle, Danny Harley, looked a little bewildered at first by the raucous bunch of locals he was about to entertain. You get the feeling this whole project has been something of a whirlwind he never expected to be so successful quite so quickly.

The night began with the somewhat relaxed vibe of local Hobart duo Close Encounters. Flamingo were also due to support, but the travel gods had other plans with delays out of Melbourne meaning they had to miss their performance. Close Encounters provided the perfect bass-heavy backing track for punters to enjoy a beverage or two and get pumped for the main attraction.

Starting out pretty slowly, Harley took the stage like someone who wanted to impress but didn’t have to try too hard. Pretty quickly the audience became like a pack of toddlers in a ball pit. Dance moves were limited to head and leg movements only, particularly if you were anywhere near the front of the stage. This one-man wonder has a voice smoother than crème caramel with a knack for production and sound layering that makes you feel like you’re seeing someone at the precipice of a long career.

Beautifully melancholic and perhaps a little too subtle at times, The Kite String Tangle built up the set so the crowd had almost forgotten they were waiting for something. Well two things to be precise: the much-acclaimed Given The Chance and the enduring new single, Arcadia.  A song that’s sure to get stuck in many heads and contemplate the lyrics, Arcadia is the singalong that even the most inebriated can manage and was a real highlight.

Harley is smart enough to know how to keep everyone hanging on until the very end and Given The Chance has a truly uniting and anthemic quality that capped off the night to perfection.