WHO: Chairlift (US), Elizabeth Rose (SYD), Gold Fields DJs
WHERE: The East Brunswick Hotel, Melbourne
WHEN: Tuesday, February 7, 2012.
Being so close to St Valentines' Day, it was only fitting on Tuesday night that every single person at The East Brunswick Club, in Melbourne, fell in love. No, it was not the beer, nor was it the impending doom (or glee) of the most romantic day in the calendar that sent men and woman weak at the knees. It was with a lady named Caroline Polachek, and she was there to front her band, Chairlift.
Caroline polachek with chairlift
First, though, the slowly growing crowd was warmed up by Sydney synth-sailor Elizabeth Rose, who worked her keyboard, laptop and loop pedals like a puppet master. Her vocal and visual qualities would have you believe she's one quarter of an all-girl happiness-soaked pop group, but listening to the beats and samples she used, and the sophisticated way she wove them together, it was clear she had much more going on. The bass was heavy and fat, while the little licks and accents were crisp, slick and interesting. While the lyrics and melodies were a little 'done', Rose has the potential to really make waves.
Caroline Polachek could well be the definition of ethereal beauty, and, more casually, laid-back glamour. However, it should be said that Chairlift is actually a two-piece (playing with session musicians) but you wouldn't believe it by the way Polachek completely stole the limelight.
The Brooklyn-based band opened with the throbbing and overwhelmingly urban "Sidewalk Safari”, proving immediately how tight, polished and confident they were. Polachek's crystalline vocals were astonishingly perfect, but without the sense that this was an over-rehearsed and over-produced singer simply going through the motions. There was emotion and energy and the sense that both Polachek and the other half, Patrick Wimberly, genuinely wanted to be there.
A good proportion of the set was taken from their latest album, "Something", but the crowd received the new songs just as well as they did the older, more well-known tracks.
Despite this, the audience went wild hearing the distinctive drum beat of 2008's "Bruises", possibly Chairlift's most famous track. In the end, however, it was lacklustre and didn't deliver the bubbly energy everyone was waiting for.
Even with Polachek's clear magnetism, the duo worked well on stage as a pair, with Wimberly busting out sporadically energetic dance moves to rival an over-excited child.
With the help of the ring-ins (on drums and guitar), Chairlift produced a full, mesmerizing and intimate show that affirmed the band's place in the hearts of many music fans.
The closing track was "I Belong" but it was patently obvious the band was expecting an encore; they hadn't yet played “Evident Utensil” or “Amanaemonesia”, two of their biggest hits.
They came back and rounded the show off with the two songs that were "seriously, the last" and departed the stage for a second time, with Cheshire grins and a legion of adoring fans cheering appreciatively.
Yolande Schefe - AAA Backstage
