Band synergy is a tricky beast. It’s possible to innovate and grow as you draw new blood into an ensemble, but like anything with too many moving parts, the machine can become unwieldy. Whether it be a loss of direction or clashing egos, the stakes always multiply. And for that very same reason, it’s always refreshing to come across the ones that work.
Dorsal Fins have skirted all the landmines and pitfalls. Taking to the stage as a travelling troupe of indie gypsies; playful and mischievous, this cobbled rat pack showed us what happens when a dysfunctional family comes good.
Upstairs at the soon to be extinct (but never forgotten) Newtown Social, the openers played to a reserved crowd. For all their hard effort, local band Shearin were unable to rouse much more than a head bob. We Sydneysiders are notorious for our high expectations. After 40 minutes of raucous pub rock, they closed with a thrashing ode to never giving up that felt as Australian as backyard cricket and VB. The audience clapped politely. With the amount of sweat sacrificed by Shearin, there were whisperings that the Dorsal Fins might suffer the same fate.
But there was no need to worry; it took all of ten seconds to see that the Fins knew how to win over a room. The nine-piece crammed themselves onto the stage, still managing to leave a little shimmy space for the enigmatic vocalists to charm the crowd. Ella and Jarrad cheekily introduced the instrumental melting pot before busting out “Romeo”, fresh off their sophomore LP ‘Digital Zodiac’. Nuzzling the audience like a mistress breathing life into a sapling love affair, repeated croons of ‘Did you want… Did you want to?’ coerced the mob from their daze. Keys and cymbals tittered and begged until the drums and fans erupted in response – Yes, we did want to!
From that point onwards, the night was an ever-escalating chicane through the ensemble’s musical tastes. Even with Liam McGorry’s guidance, it feels like Dorsal Fins never quite decided on a singular sound. This would have been a drawback if they didn’t have the flexibility to switch up on the fly, but with members hot-swapping instruments at will; tambourine to trumpet, saxophone to Stratocaster, the band had all the necessary ingredients to whip up anything from their back catalogue. Because of this versatility, the audience were whisked away to crossroads where alien genres sometimes meet. Impressively, ska and brit-pop found an unlikely alliance in the live re-imaginings; as if The Cat Empire and Blur had organised a late night jam session in Newtown’s famous live venue.
While newborn singles “High Low” and “Sedated” got the crowd grooving, the two high points of the night came from their debut album. Disco burner “Heart on the Floor” turned into an inferno live, mainlining the crowd with an electrifying dose of ’80s Miami. Ella’s voice approached diva, sweeping the funk-drunk onlookers back to the time of pink neon and palm trees. This palpable static never left, and was only topped by the encore and title track “Mind Renovation”. Soaked in psychedelic imagery and individualism, the gang found unmatched harmony in these last moments. Percussion and the accompanying brass coalesced in a fervor, reminiscent of early Spiritualized, that is of course, if Jason Pierce had discovered friendship instead of heroin.
Filing off-stage after a few waves and thank yous, Dorsal Fins left the breathless spectators satisfied. Lets hope the future sees this motley crew playing to the audiences they deserve; on a festival stage, surrounded by greenery and warmed by the mid-afternoon sun.
Photo courtesy of The AU Review.