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Lime Cordiale, Timberwolf, Gold Member -- Metro Theatre, Sydney -- 25th November, 2017
The night kicks off with some sunny hues from local duo Gold Member, as Aaron Martin and Angus Murphy waste no time throwing down their frisky brand of skanky grooves and cloudy vocals to the early punters. It's an effortlessly mellow set from the pair who seem right at home on this iconic stage - and it's not the last we see of them for the night.
Hitting up next is dreamy singer-songwriter Timberwolf (aka Christopher Panousakis), coming in hot off his swooning Like A Version appearance the day before, and joined onstage by a three-piece backing band (a maiden performance for the band in its current form). It's a subtle yet memorable set as Timberwolf layers his silky, warm vocals across the room, with standout tracks 'Something That I Said' and 'Washed Out' showcasing his poignant songwriting. There's an element of the ghostly charm of Matt Corby licking around the edges here, but with a refreshingly original slant - and as soon as that saxophone comes out in the middle of the set, we all know what's about to go down with the hands-down highlight: Timberwolf's dazzling cover of Chet Faker's 'Talk Is Cheap'.
The lights fade down, the fairy lights on the drum kit flicker on and as The White Stripes banger 'Seven Nation Army' pumps out of the speakers, the Gold Member boys bust out their best hype-girl moves before six gents finally wander onstage - yep it's the Lime Cordiale army, with two looking like they just stepped off the set of the 'Come On Eileen' music video and fronted by lovable brothers Oli and Louis Leimbach. From the very first note of 'Can I Be Your Lover', it's clear the boys are throwing everything they've got at tonight, with an insatiable amount of energy buzzing across a solid set that runs close to an hour and a half.
There's plenty of that indie-rock-meets-summer-vacay magic that Lime Cordiale have perfected in a few short years, with a healthy mix of tunes from their 'Road To Paradise' EP ('Not That Easy' and 'Hanging Upside Down') as well as their tour namesake album 'Permanent Vacation' (with the likes of 'Naturally' and 'Risky Love' inciting beach-ball throwing and a surprising amount of public smoking of the 420 variety for an all-ages gig). As the sold-out room hots up, the boys add a revolving door of guests, including some back-up singers, a very shirtless Aaron Martin dabbling on guitar and an all-in jam fiesta when Gold Member and Timberwolf hop onstage for a raucous rendition of The Champs ode to the liquor king of bad decisions - 'Tequila'.
It's honestly impossible not to like Lime Cordiale - they're catchy, they've got unholy grooves and they know how to show you a good time. But this ain't just another party band - what we've got here is a band who have mastered the dark arts of memorable songwriting combined with some serious musical chops - there's a trombone in place of a lead guitar at times, a flawless exchange of vocals between Oli and Louis, and even a clarinet busted out for one of the encores. It's a blissfully upbeat night of skill and good times, and for the biggest show of their career to date Lime Cordiale won't be calling this vacation short anytime soon.
FOR MORE INFO, HEAD TO:
LIME CORDIALE: www.facebook.com/limecordiale
TIMBERWOLF: www.facebook.com/Timberwolfofficial
GOLD MEMBER: www.facebook.com/goldmembermusic
BY TIANA SPETER