It’s not often that a band will introduce a song by
ordering the audience to dance more expressively, “not just this bopping up and
down” as Phoebe from Alpine did. She momentarily turned the
attention away from their colourful stage presence to the night as a whole.
Despite joining fellow vocalist Lou in an uninhibited performance - playing
with the mics, kicking, dancing and at times even rolling on the floor, she
also wanted the audience to join in on the fun.
First, warm-up acts Olympia and Pearls took to the stage. Olympia performed solo on a stage full of
equipment, but confidently switched from guitar, to keyboard, all the while
filling the room with her commanding voice. Her Sia-ish haircut and metallic jumpsuit
set the scene for the costumes to come from the Alpine girls. Pearls have a different style, dressed in
black with rebel lyrics to match: “I got no soul and I got no money.” The venue
was packed by 9:30pm and their set loud and solid from the get go.
We could only expect eccentric showmanship to come
from the night’s headliners, and even before their own set began, Alpine surprised us sauntered on with hip hop
classic in the background, ‘International Players Anthem.’ At first, ABBA came
to mind when I saw Phoebe’s floor-length golden gown and Lou’s huge black arm
ruffles. Their energy was insistent; from start to finish the two front women
were jumping up and down, blowing kisses into the audience and waving their
hands. All of which recalls the playful, party atmosphere of other eccentric
indie bands Arcade Fire or Architecture
in Helsinki.
They kicked off their set with ‘Crunches’ and stuck
mostly to tracks off their June release Yuck. The record came to life when guest
instrumentalists came on stage, two trumpeters on ‘Shot Fox’ and two violinists
for ‘Foolish.’ Despite the two vocalists taking up most of the attention (it
seems there is room for two big personalities on the same stage), the other
four band members looked like they were having just as good a time, bopping up
and down on the keyboard, singing along and slamming drumsticks.
By the end of the set, Phoebe and Lou set aside any
nonchalance they had previously created from walking on stage to the Players
Anthem and began to proclaim their love for Sydney by dedicating one track
after the other to the audience. Unfortunately, some of their vocals were lost
in the electronic production and background instrumentals on ‘Jellyfish’.
However, their energy levels never dropped. Phoebe claimed, “I feel like I’m
floating on a love balloon” and Lou thanked the audience “for understanding the
weird and the wonderful.” It would have been a confusing affair for anyone new
to Alpine but a gig to remember
none the less.
Published on theAUReview.
