By swapping the football field for the live stage, Melbourne musician Daisy Bateman has made the most natural of transitions from gun AFLW player, to charismatic performer.
Fronting the indie pop-rock group Daezy, Bateman's talents as a vocalist are given prominence – the band's overall sound is reminiscent of early Middle Kids and San Cisco, delivered with heart.On this particular Thursday evening (17 April), Daezy performed at The Workers Club; a sold-out show that provided the perfect mix of original music, covers and pure energy to send everyone off into the Easter long weekend.
Launching their debut EP, 'See Me Standing', the night saw a mix of originals and covers come together with celebratory vibes that couldn't be ignored. It was an impressive turn out – clearly a love-in between band and their community of fans and friends – but to think about Daezy's growth in the last year, it was even more heartening to see how much was in the room for this band.
Weaving through their EP material as well as selected covers of music by artists like Bruno Mars and Keane to pepper the set list, Daezy demonstrated how easily their band dynamic has translated from studio to stage.
While Bateman, as mentioned, is an engaging performer, the same has to be said for her bandmates: Jackson Raeburn, Josh Michels and Sam Gilfedder. With more shows under their belt, their command of the stage will undoubtedly grow.
The one slight downside of the night was struggling to hear what any in-between song banter was, as the band was continuously drowned out by the rowdiness of the crowd talking over them. This is a byproduct of being in a room that is riding high on the energy being fed into the music and on that front, Daezy made sure that energy did not dip at any point.
Making their debut only last year, the group have accumulated a strong online following, largely due to their emotional and charged up live performances. Songs like 'Forever', and more recent releases 'Mother' and 'Blame', have positioned Daezy as ones to watch on the local scene.
With 'See Me Standing' out now, the band is ready to jump on the momentum their breakthrough year in 2024 generated.
- written by Sosefina Fuamoli
