Last night promised to be one packed with an intoxicating lineup of live music, great food and a hell of a lot of glitter at Quarterfest. The Paddock Stage was loaded with local talent to get the crowds moving before headliners and all round rock stars THE VANNS stole the show. With glitter bar helping the crowd get into the festival spirit before the show, Quarterfest was a night that put local Aussie rock at the forefront.
SEYKA
The night opened with powerhouse rockstar SEYKA debuting their fresh full band sound. SEYKA gave a flawless performance teasing the audience with music from her upcoming release as well as crowd favourite anthems including ‘Teenage Dirtbag’. Original song ‘Shadows’ gave us contrast in SEYKA’s vocal range and songwriting style, from the rocky sounds of acts like Ali Barter and Alex Lahey to something more soulful and uniquely her. The highlight of her performance was seeing her rock out her Gold Tele without hesitation.
TIAHN BERG
Tiahn Berg took to the stage and brought the level back down with her moody and soulful piano driven sound. In contrast to the rock stylings of SEYKA, Tiahn had the audience grooving to her eclectic mix of pop tunes. Like a true professional the young songwriter didn’t let a few technical issues take away from the show, instead she took the opportunity to bring the audience in with a solo rendition of a powerful original song filled with sincerity and honesty, before launching into the rest of her set with the band in tow. Although she delivered a solid set filled with ups and downs Tiahn Berg finished on a bit of a downer with a slow song that really left us wanting something more, but what we did get was a real treat and a testament to the caliber and diversity of local talent.
TWELVE PAST MIDNIGHT
Twelve Past Midnight had the audience bopping their heads along with their performance. After easing into the start of their set, they eventually found their footing after a few songs and got on with delivering the indie rock set they’ll be showcasing at Little Big Sound next month. Recent single Salt Lines reminds you of The 1975, showing off the band’s ability to write and produce solid original music. Front man Jordan’s sweet soulful voice paired beautifully with the loose rocky electric guitars wooing the crowd into the trance-like sway to the rhythm. Their solid set and energetic performance covered for any mistakes and looseness of the band’s playing. They ended their set perfectly with an upbeat track that had everyone up dancing ready for headliners.
THE VANNS
Within seconds of getting on stage, THE VANNS showed us just how good Aussie Indie Rock can be opening strongly with a fast paced heavy guitar-shredding tune that had the crowd dancing and screaming for more. It’s clear why they’ve built the following they’ve got with a flawless performance driven by their insane energy and danceable rhythms. Frontman Jimmy Vann had us craving his voice and Cameron Little’s serious chops on the guitar impressed and overwhelmed the AA crowd. With dedicated fans going crazy on the barrier to the new fans discovering this Aussie music gem for the first time their show had all the makings of a show you’d expect of British rockers Catfish and The Bottlemen. And in testament to their music THE VANNS will be supporting the aforementioned in July at their Splendour Side Show. THE VANNS were Quarterfest last night, taking over every inch of your soul with their addictively funky sound that just left the crowd craving for more of their electrifying showmanship.
Quarterfest brought together our local and touring rock acts in a night that was all it promised to be. The AA event let us see a taste of the future with fresh acts SEYKA, Tiahn Berg and Twelve Past Midnight, paired perfectly with the now of THE VANNS ever growing success of their hypnotising indie rock that is unapologetically uplifting.