The Standard, Sydney
Saturday May 11, 2013 :
I arrived at the Standard early to be faced with five words you never want to hear… ‘Sorry, not on the list’. After feverishly scanning through my emails and politely shoving my iPhone in the face of the doorman, my arm was stamped and I was on my way.
I unfortunately missed the opening set by Mammals but arrived just in time too see Collarbones take to the stage. I had been looking forward to seeing these guys play for some time as the buzz about them has been gathering momentum recently, and with their inclusion on the upcoming Vivid lineup, my expectations were high….
Sadly, however, my expectations were left high and dry, as their set of synth laden grinding hip hop, mashed up with the RnB inspired falsetto vocals proved monotonous and confusing for all in attendance, apart from the twenty or so groupies at front of stage. While the vocal ability of singer Marcus Whale is impressive, and the fusion of synth pop with a dark hip hop undertone provided by a one man mac book set up worked well, there is little connection between the vocals and the music with one often drowning out the other – “broken collarbones” – it would seem.
After a brief break, the girl we had all been waiting for finally made her arrival on stage and she was well worth the wait. Brooke Addamo, aka Owl Eyes, is a gorgeous mix of beauty, charm and talent. She was sweet, humorous, humble, connected to her audience, and blessed with an amazing voice that easily transcends a variety of musical styles.
Opening with ‘Nightswim’, ‘Ivory’, and ‘Hurricane’, showcasing some of the Nightswim’s finest tracks, was the perfect way to get the crowd hooked from the word go. ‘Diamonds In Her Eyes’ and ‘Love Run Dry’ were beautiful and had all singing in unison but unfortunately were spoilt, even if only slightly, by the only sore point in an otherwise flawless performance – delays caused by a failing mac book pro stopped proceedings on two occasions for what must have felt like an eternity for Addamo. As she conjured up all her wit and charm to keep the restless crowd at bay, perhaps a little pre rehearsed acoustic cover in the Owl’s back pocket might come in handy for such situations.
Technical issues resolved and a crowd bursting at the seams, she powered through the darker, dance inspired ‘Crystallised’, and well thought out disco covers of Armand Van Helden’s ‘You Don’t Know Me’ and Stardust’s ‘Music Sounds Better With You’.
The later half of the performance was reserved for the album’s more anthemic tunes such as ‘Salt Water’, and standout ‘Golden Lies’, before an encore consisting of ‘Raiders’ finished off the night. With such an energetic and passionate performance, great song writing skills and that incredibly powerful vocal range, Addamo is certainly one to watch.
Reviewer and Photographer: Chrissy Kavalieros
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