Live Review: The Madisons, Keep On Dancin's

Keep On Dancin's play the kind of music that is very particular to a time of day; their soothing low-fi tonic for the pre-dawn hours of Sunday morning is best served in a lonely lounge once the Valley has all but busted and broken the toughest, so it doesn't quite translate with the sun still shining brightly when the four-piece take to the Turbine Platform. It doesn't help that they all look bored shitless; taking synchronised sips of nearby drinks as each song ends, the four trade awkward expressions as though the audience can't see. Stage presence aside, they know how to work delicious desert-tinged guitar tones and the desolate vocal of bass-playing frontlady Jacinta Walker into a framework of languid, tambo-laced rock – it's like Concrete Blonde rained on the La Bamba soundtrack, in a good way. They skip Summertime and There Goes Your Guy – probably the most 'upbeat' these guys can get – in favour of presumably tracks from their new cassette release, songs that still riff off topics of love lost and found. There is little dynamic from song to song, but there's still something hugely lovable about their dolefulness.  

Dressed in coordinating outfits, scarves and '60s hairdos to reflect the fun, girl-group vibe of the era, local five-piece The Madisons are bouncy and vibrant as they take turns with lead vocals to good effect. With defined strums, choppy keys, sweet three-piece harmonies and a cute swing, Radio is an early highlight and even as guitarist/singer Chloe Turner has a hair malfunction, it turns into a light-hearted moment of stage banter that fits neatly into proceedings: “Sorry, I've got a bit of a hair situation,” she admits through the giggles of her bandmates. “These things happens when you're in a girl group.” Anchored by the precision drumming of Cub Scout Zoe Davis, the obvious throwbacks to doo-wop, complete with twee American accents, sometimes come off awkwardly, though on the whole The Madisons are a bit of shameless fun for a Sunday arvo.

Tamara Monahan