On a clammy, expectedly indecisive autumn night, the iconically dingy Oxford Art Factory (OAF) played host to Melbourne’s City Calm Down for what was their second sold-out Sydney show in a row. In true rockstar fashion, CCD slid onto the stage, assuredly assuming their loose positions for the next hour or so. “Like a rat in a cage / I’m easily satisfied you know“, Jack Bourke‘s unmistakable baritone sliced through the silence to provide the first morsel for the hungry crowd. With its brooding, eerie synths and massive percussion “Wandering” followed, serving as the ultimate entree for what was an astounding display of confidence, theatrical musings and supreme talent.
Breaking into the scene almost four years ago with their new-age inspired debut EP, City Calm Down somewhat fell into the ether until the release of their LP ‘In A Restless House’ saw daylight late last year. Percolating as one of the more confident debut albums in recent memory, their dynamic alternative arrangements projected a wildly intelligent, enticing exuberance well beyond their years and discography. The National comparisons flooded in and then dissipated as it became clear that CCD’s offering only feigned inspiration from the aforementioned; rather, their slyly expansive, often synth-laden soundscapes echoed occult undertones and positioned them at the forefront of the new order.
Live, the hinted expansiveness on the record is given a brightly lit pedestal – a pedestal that brought Bourke to his knees, swaying to and fro, performing manipulative, staggering movements that existed as a coincidental foreshadowing of a David Bowie cover to come. Bourke was the puppeteer, orchestrating the crowd with his body, representing the inherent mystery pulsing underneath every elaborate arrangement.
Before long they played “Son”, a song that transmutes the occult, theatrical and slightly religious undertones in perfect tandem with Bourke’s angular physique. Crouching physically and metaphorically in front of drowning synths, he declared, “Son, you’re in my gaze / It’s so familiar“, as the arrangement progressively swelled, momentarily folding on itself behind stuttered percussion, horns and harmonies before unfolding into the infectious chorus, affectionately transferring from one paying patron to another. Surprisingly, the epic title track worked its way into the middle of the set, but not even its anthemic synth pulses and triumphant hooks could outdo or outshine the glorious cover of Foals‘ “Spanish Sahara” that was to come. Already existing as a moodier cut amidst Foals’ catalogue, CCD took the track to unquestionably dark heights, as Bourke assumed the bleak imagery and manifested the loneliness and shear grandiose of the indie ballad.
As the night raged on, Bourke and co. grew in strength and confidence, seemingly drawing power from the bustling, entranced crowd. The now iconic guitar lick of “Rabbit Run” – the closest thing to perfection on the record – sprawled out and filled every inch of OAF. “Losing sense of it all,” Bourke crooned, his voice crackling under the enormity of the chorus, ably backed and supported by every member of the audience. To round out the night, fans were treated to a delightful cover of the late David Bowie‘s “Let’s Dance”. Here CCD placed their versatility front and centre, assuming the energy and persona of Bowie and immediately inciting wicked, jagged dance moves with every trumpet and synth bellow.
Australia appears to be in the midst of an indie and alternative rock renaissance. City Calm Down are staking their flag in the fertile grounds of alternative rock, and if their second sold out Sydney show was anything to go by, the future is filled with uncapped potential for the new-age outfit.
All photos by Jordan Munns: