Live Review: Tropical Zombie, Fish Out Of Water, Tea Society

Live music is gaining momentum on the Sunshine Coast and the few punters who made the trip to the sweaty, sticky Solbar on Friday night should count their blessings.

These three bands are going to continue to just get bigger and bigger and to see them for only a few bucks without much fanfare is something all ticket buyers should remember in a few years.

Tea Society are a group of youngsters from the Coast who are gaining speed fast. The five-piece usually frequent house shows and bar gigs but they’re on the way to being the support band bigger acts are going to want to play with when they make it to this side of Oz. With a mixed-up sound of rock and reggae, the boys kicked the night off nicely and for a band so young, they really, really know what they’re doing. Keep an eye out.

Next, after making the trek across the Pacific Ocean, the California-based funk-inspired three-piece Fish Out Of Water have everything going right for them except big enough crowds. Clad head to toe in pyjamas and dressing gowns, you can tell this band is freaking fun and they wanted to get the crowd boogying, which they did, mind you – just not enough people were there to witness it. Releasing albums steadily since 2009, hopefully Fish Out Of Water won over some fans in Australia so that on their next visit they can get the crowd numbers they deserve.

Tropical Zombie are going to make it fucking big – you read it here first. After scoring a slot over New Year’s at the boutique festival Lost Paradise, as well as Festival Of The Sun in mid-December and now the approaching Mountain Sounds this February, the Central Coast/Byron Bay/Sydney boys are quickly making a name for themselves across the country. Yet to release their first album, but with a sweet EP, See It All, behind them, they knocked out tune after tune. With island vibes mixing into upbeat jungle sounds and the combination of the relentless energy of frontman Rob Swords and the rest of the boys, everything necessary was provided to create music you can physically not stop yourself from dancing to. Even punters in the crowd that perhaps hadn’t heard the band’s music before would have been won over by TZ.

Give it one or two years (at the most) and Tropical Zombie are definitely on track to be gracing Australia’s biggest festivals in prime time slots. Picture inflatable palm trees, crocodiles and beach balls, as well as goon sack-wielding dudes in deck chairs all crowdsurfing to one of the catchiest songs of summer and this is where Tropical Zombie will find themselves in no time at all.