When New York duo Cults ended their romantic relationship after their surprise success and the whirlwind schedule of touring that followed, many presumed this also meant the band would break up.
It’s now 2014 and Cults are well
and truly together with a fresh new sound that feels like a natural progression
from the deliciously sweet sixties girl-group aesthetic of their debut album
‘Cults’. 2014’s ‘Static’ was positioned to be a dismal breakup album, which it
certainly is not and nor do Cults sound like a bitter break up band. Madeline
Follin and Brian Oblivion of Cults have never sounded better nor looked happier
to be on stage; it seems after their miraculous rise to fame and then their
subsequent break from the chaos, the two have emerged with wisdom and poise.
Supporting Cults at The Zoo on
Tuesday, May 6, was Brisbane’s own dynamic duo, The Furrs. The group stepped
into the spotlight a few months ago, catching the attention of Brisbane’s music
scene with their raw sixties blues rock n roll jams that sounded like anything
but a covers band. The Furrs’ backing band has since shifted around, but the
two singers remain the leaders of the group and the source of its heart. Like
Cults, much of the appeal of The Furrs stems from the effortless repertoire on
stage between the leads. Whilst the group’s lead singer, Gabriella J, anchors
The Furrs with her confidence and wonderfully unique voice, her collaborator,
Jimmy G, is laidback and collected; a perfect foil to Gabriella.
It’s been a few months since I’ve
seen the band and since then The Furrs have grown exponentially. The initial
appeal of The Furrs was their visceral, jangly guitar sound and spontaneity on
stage, but now the group appear like true professionals. Luckily, this has not
required the group to sacrifice any of their original charisma; The Furrs
retain their boisterous spirit, only with newfound confidence. Songs like
‘Money’ and their debut single ‘Get On Your Horse’ practically burst at the seams
with unbridled energy, but it is the languid duet ballad ‘Flower’ that stands
out the most.
The lights dim and majestic
spaghetti western music plays. Everything goes black and then Cults take the
stage, plunging straight into ‘High Road’ from their latest album ‘Static’. As
a somewhat subdued track, ‘High Road’ is hardly a great opener, but the duo’s
vibrant energy makes up for anything the song may lack. Madeline Follin and
Brian Oblivion are as dynamic as ever, with no love lost at all from their break-up.
They move straight into ‘Abducted’, which should have been their actual opener
as one of their catchiest songs.
Whilst Cults sound polished and
professional on their recordings, their live performance elevates their music
significantly with a stronger guitar presence. Follin’s vocals also sound much
more powerful; instead of demurely crooning, Follin belts and roars with no
inhibitions. Sometimes her sweet voice is somewhat overwhelmed by the band’s
thrashing guitars sounds, which could have been subdued a little more in favour
of Follin. Her singing sounds best on some of the slower songs where you
can really hear both her voice and the lyrics of the songs with clarity, such
as epic love song ‘Always Forever’ and ‘Never Heal Myself’, both of which are
played back to back.
Cults amp up the energy again with
‘We’ve Got It’, and then the lights dim for a “slow one” – ‘You Know What I
Mean’. The mood is positively majestic as Follin serenades us with the fifties
dream pop throwback tune. Follin holds nothing back and her vulnerability pays
back big time for the exuberant audience. Oblivion is next given a chance to
lead a duet with Follin on ‘Were Before’, which demonstrates the more stripped
back style of their second album, providing a nice contrast to their earlier
stuff, however, some of the magic is lost by upping the lo-fi vibes and
diminishing that bebop vibrancy that made them famous. Cults may have
sacrificed some of their fifties nostalgia nods to keep things fresh, but
ironically, it is their old material that sounds more modern.
The duo follow with ‘So Far’,
another austere mellow track from their new album, which holds up much better.
The song feels like more a natural and mature progression for the band with its
haunting aesthetic and epic spaghetti western guitar riffs that retain that
vintage patina that first made them intriguing. The song slowly builds up the
kind momentum missing from some of their other new songs, culminating in a
powerful finale as Follin repeatedly belts, “I wonder how you sleep at night.”
In contrast to the beguiling force
of ‘So Far’ is ‘Bumper’, a delightfully clever duet between the two leads that
tells the story of a breakup and reunion of a frazzled couple. Follin abandons
the coy ‘la-la-la-la’ that defines the recorded version and unfortunately, it
does feel a bit like the song is missing something. Whilst Cults may have shed
some of the endearing qualities of the tune, they have also injected the tune
with more venom and harsher guitar riffs, which takes it to a new level. The
duo follow with ‘I Can Hardly Make You Mine’, which nicely shows the garage
side to Cults, as well as a cover of The Motels’ moody ballad ‘Total Control’.
Cults finish their set with
ballroom swing number ‘Rave On’, but we all know this can be hardly be the end
of their show, with their debut hit ‘Go Outside’ obviously absent from the set.
The duo hardly wait a minute before returning to the stage to play ‘Go Outside’
and dreamy neo-psychedelic tune ‘Keep Your Head Up’, which provides a satisfying
conclusion to a dynamic set. For a Tuesday night in little Brisbane town, this
was a lot more than I bargained for.
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