Fearlessly skyrocketing into the hearts of the Australian rock scene, Slowly Slowly have evolved from their emo roots, now touting hard-hitting, pop-rock ballads and an overly energetic show to pair with.
Bringing their Daisy Chain tour to Brisbane's The Tivoli (25 May), the Melbourne-based band pulled a huge set full of aerial acrobatics and chugging guitars, playing to a sold-out audience of electrified fans.With a small delay to the start of the night, Sydney locals CLEWS took to the stage. Fans that had piled in from the opening of the doors to squish up on the barricade were greeted by the wholesome indie rock sounds of the CLEWS sisters.
Posted up in front of a big white sheet, CLEWS played right into the heart strings of the crowd, with lead singer Grace venturing into the crowd for their first song to sing directly to the first row.
Closing out the set with a huge sing-along of their track 'Crushed', Grace, Lily and the gang left the stage with another knockout set under their belt.
CLEWS - image © Harrison Innes
Having recently returned from the States and crashing straight into the Daisy Chain tour, newly independent Melbourne pop-punk legends Between You And Me (BYAM) took the stage.
Along with their sing-along pop-punk sound, BYAM brought a ferocious energy to the stage. The crowd soaked it up, screaming along to what songs they knew, the band opening with their top hit 'Dakota'. "Hey Brisbane, can we get a 'sh.t yeah!?'"
To bring their mighty set to a close, the band split the crowd in half clamouring over the barricade to join the antics. The final breakdown of 'Deadbeat' had the crowd smashing into each other, with members Jake and Bassy climbing on top of the sea of people as if they were topping some epic mountain.
Between You And Me - image © Harrison Innes
The start of the main act saw the curtains fall as dazzling lights filled the stage. The Melbourne-based headliners ripped into the title track off their latest album, 'Daisy Chain', the crowd lapping it up.
With the unfortunate cancellation of American support act Turnover a week earlier, Slowly Slowly were left with a gap in the show's run time. Instead of filling in this slot with a replacement; Slowly took the opportunity to cram even more into their own set, playing for a total of two hours.
Slowly Slowly - image © Harrison Innes
Whether you were an old fan or new, Slowly's set had something for everything, going from 'Turn It Around' to 'PMWTWGR'. "Brisbane, you look gorgeous!"
Each song felt seamlessly connected; one minute the crowd was clutching each other crying to cut-deep lyrics, the next jumping and revelling in feel-good tunes.
A halfway breather was provided by lead singer Ben wading through the crowd to the rear sound desk, where a single light illuminated his acoustic guitar and solitary microphone. Serenading the crowd with the beautiful track 'Medicine', the crowd had turned 180 degrees to see the singer at his very best.
Slowly Slowly - image © Harrison Innes
Bringing the acoustic interlude to its end, a huge chorus of deep cut 'Deathproof' had the crowd up in arms, some with tears streaming from their faces.
To describe that Slowly has one of the most energetic shows around is no understatement.
Between the band's constant spinning and thrashing onstage, lead singer Ben looks for every chance to leap off the small platforms or the stark-white stairs that framed the stage. Like a basketball player taking off for a slam dunk, the frontman probably spent close to half the set off of the ground.
Slowly Slowly - image © Harrison Innes
A moment all fans could get behind was the sensation 'Jellyfish'. Barely singing the song, Ben let the crowd take the lead, providing a deafening roar to fill the room.
Finishing off with their explosive single 'Blueprint', Ben made a huge leap towards the front row, sending him flying into the crowd's awaiting arms. Gaining his balance atop crammed yet adoring fans, he stood upright to deliver the final lines of the song: "Good friends are getting hard to find!"
More photos from the show.
