Live Review: Tiny Little House, Verge Collection, Sophie Hopes

Saturday night in Perth and The Rosemount was the place to be as Melbourne four-piece Tiny Little Houses made their first trip across the Nullarbor as part of a national tour to promote their new EP, Snow Globe. 

First up, Tired Lion's Sophie Hopes took to the stage to perform a solo set. It was good to see that a decent number of punters had ventured in from the beer garden early to catch her sadly all too brief performance. With keys and swirling guitar loops, Hopes wove a rich aural tapestry highlighted by her unmistakable vocals, which the crowd lapped up. This was definitely a departure from Tired Lion's indie/rock sound and despite only playing four tracks, Hopes left the audience eager for more.

Next, Verge Collection delivered a set full of energy to the now substantial crowd. A mixture of indie, country and, at times, '60s Britpop, the band showcased the sound that has made them a standout on the local scene for the last year or so. With guitar riffs that varied from country twang to a thunderous howl that would have done J Mascis proud, they had the crowd bopping as they played through their set of upbeat, catchy tunes which included tracks from their deservedly 2016 WAM Award-winning EP, Open Plan Living. Stand out songs on the night were Postcodes and Our Place.

Then it was time for Tiny Little Houses to make their Perth debut and the large crowd was not disappointed. With frontman Caleb Karvountzis switching between acoustic and electric guitars through their set, the band has a sound that is at times folkish but with nods to bands such as Pixies and Radiohead. His distinctive vocals sit perfectly with the lo-fi, fuzzed-out vibe of the band with the work from guitarist Sean Mullins being a standout.

With the band playing songs from their current EP as well as 2015's You Tore Out My Heart, they appeared to enjoy the warm reception from the large Perth audience with Mullins mentioning the crowd being noticeably larger than their previous gigs in Hobart and Adelaide. Karvountzis then invited them all to sing along to a grunged out version of Kasey Chambers' Not Pretty Enough which was, without a doubt, a highlight of the night. 

It was plain to see why Tiny Little Houses have been attracting so much attention in the eastern states. It's hard not to just stand back and let their well-crafted and, at times, melancholic songs wash over you. Based on the reception the band received tonight, they'll be back on this side of the country sooner rather than later.