Live Review: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Sugarpuss, Hamjam

HAMJAM drew quite a crowd for 8.30pm on a crisp Tuesday, a personal highlight being the lyric “I want to stay in bed all day”, which I felt a strong personal connection to. James Ireland (The Chemist, The Growl) in particular did a very fine job. Next on the bill were local psych rock band Sugarpuss. I'd seen them once before at last years' Path to Laneway competition at The Bird, but for some reason hadn't realised how awesome they were. With sensationally catchy riffs and a fantastic keys player jamming at the back of the stage, this is a band to keep an eye peeled for. The introduction of maracas partway through the set also deserves praise. In my notes from the gig I scribbled down 'funky disco ball' so I'm glad The Rosemount continues to add positive gig vibes with their choice of lighting and props.

At last, to the anticipation of a very bearded crowd, Unknown Mortal Orchestra (UMO) took the stage, opening with a track from their latest album, II, The Opposite of Afternoon. The crowd was essentially on top of each other at this point, with some girls sitting on the bar to get a glimpse of the understated three-piece. The lead singer was bouncing with energy, but the crowd took a while to warm up, politely clapping with the occasional “woo” at the end of the first few songs. UMO then moved into a track from their first album, How Can U Luv Me, here beginning to show their true colours and launching into a massive instrumental jam. The crowd was loving it and many more “woo”s were had. The drummer was absolutely phenomenal; I found myself craning my neck to watch him do his thang. Very different from listening to a record, I was glad this band took their music down a different path in live shows. It is clear Unknown Mortal Orchestra doesn't feel pressured to stay within the confines of their recorded music and takes live shows as an opportunity to express themselves. Though the band are fantastic musicians and incredibly passionate performers, the gig was not what I was expecting. With none of the typical banter you find at these sorts of gigs, the only words uttered by lead singer Ruban Nielson were of appreciation to the crowd. UMO finished with 2013 single So Good At Being In Trouble, then came back for an encore of two covers and ending on a high with first album hit Ffunny Ffriends. Not a let down, per se, but certainly not what I was expecting. This band still rocks.