Possibly one of the biggest hype bands on the indie-rock scene in 2010, US natives Best Coast have effortlessly established themselves a solid fan base all over the world, and judging by the adoring crowd tonight, Melbourne may very well be at the forefront. As it turned out, they were a lot more 'rock' than 'indie', but more on that later.
Supporting them were Melbourne outfit Crayon Fields. Let me just say from the outset that I have never seen a nerdier looking bunch of guys in one band. Seriously. Of course I mean that in the nicest possible way. The music? Solid without being spectacular. Standout track All the Pleasures of the World was predictably played towards the end, and to be honest I hadn't heard of much of their other stuff. It turns out they've released two albums, but with that already behind them it's hard to see where to now for these guys.
As the temperature in the East bandroom hit soaring point, the anticipation amongst the building sell-out crowd was eerily palpable - I for one have been spinning their first and only LP 'Crazy For You' over 50 times according to my itunes! So after an extended but standard interlude, Bethany Cosentino & co hit the stage to the screams of the East faithful. Wearing a somewhat inappropriately short dress (although I wasn't exactly complaining), Cosentino let her music do the talking jumping straight into a three-song opener which included the brilliant Bratty B and Summer Mood. When you listen to their record, Best Coast sound like a wavy, chilled indie-rock band - the type of music you'd love to listen to on a hot Summer's day whilst laying at the beach. Live = completely different. They came across almost like a garage rock band, with heavy bass lines and loud vocals that one would not expect from a listen to their LP. I'm not necessarily saying it was a bad thing - just different.
This sound continued throughout, with Crazy for You and Boyfriend being dispensed of relatively early in the night. The latter was a disappointment - possibly their biggest single and most anticipated of the night, it was almost like the crowd wanted to sing along and get into it but were somewhat taken aback by its live sound and fast-tracked vocals. Nevertheless it was greeted with a predictable huge roar and applause. Then came by far the highlight of the night in I Want To. Stripped back, intimate indie rock - this was what the crowd had come to expect. Cosentino's vocals (along with the crowd's) and emotions were on full display as she pleaded "I want you, so much" before breaking into the fast-paced finale of the song, greeted by easily the biggest roar of the night. This welcome change of pace continued with a solid rendition of Lesley Gore's That's the Way Boys Are, and it was obvious that the adoring crowd were starting to remember why they love this band so much. They continued through almost every track off 'Crazy for You', each one almost as enjoyable as the next.
When I'm With You and Each and Everyday closed the hour-long set, both accompanied by heavy bass lines and vocals, although by that stage you were somewhat used to the live sound and were able to enjoy two of the better songs off their record. The Encore? Non-existant, and judging by the briskness in which Cosenito & co left the stage, and the lack of ongoing audience applause, it seems neither were too disappointed. With such a short LP (just over a half hour) Best Coast did a fantastic job to produce a solid set of tunes spanning the entire hour. Overall a throughly enjoyable night out - just not what I was expecting.
Ahh wish I went! solid write up MA, almost as good as being there
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