"Any Kiwis?" an excited fan called out to the seated audience behind her at the Brisbane Powerhouse (15 February).
A chorus of New Zealand accents replied with cheers filled with anticipation to see their nation's musical heroes The Chills make their long-awaited return to Australia.In New Zealand, band leader Martin Phillipps is a national hero, his jangling guitars and sweet melodies plucking the heartstrings of many of his countrymen.
However, for Australians the band is a cult concern, barely known but beloved by a devoted few, so trips across the Tasman Sea are sparse.
Six years have passed since their last visit to our shores, but shockingly it's been 30 years since The Chills last visited Brisbane: "Dunno what you did to piss us off back then," Martin Phillips joked onstage.
But thanks to Lawrence English and Brad Spolding's inaugural ΩHM Festival, the band finally returned for a night of splendour.
A droning synth signalled the start of the opening set from local duo Primitive Motion.
As the screen behind them showed rotating footage of rippling water, Leighton Craig sprinkled tweets and buzzing from his synth, while Sandra Selig looped her saxophone, creating a pensive cousin to the bleak 'Blade Runner' soundtrack.
The addition of a crunchy drum machine loop provided a base for a fuzzy krautrock groove, and Sandra swapped her sax for a flute, adding trills of sweetness to the reverb-drenched blur of mechanical noise.
Applause erupted as The Chills took the stage, heading straight for their instruments to open with 'Night Of Chill Blue' from their debut album (which Martin mentioned will be rereleased soon).
The majority of the band's current line-up have been performing together since the early 2010s and are the longest-serving members of the band (the exception is new bassist, the dreadlocked Callum Hampton), and together their guitars chimed, keys twinkled, and Erica Scally's violin swooned.
The Chills have crafted soaring melodies, but their history is filled with bad luck, and that Chills curse struck before the show.
After a rousing 'Bad Sugar', Martin apologised explaining he was still getting used to the guitar he had to borrow for the show. As he told the audience, Qantas had left most of their luggage, merch, and instruments in Sydney. "I had a nice shirt picked out for all of you, too," he deadpanned.
Even on borrowed instruments, The Chills still reached the heights fans hold them.
As the band played 'The Male Monster From The Id', rows of seats rocked back-and-forwards from the combined force of fans nodding and clapping. One fan propelled herself to her feet to sway to the beat, and Todd Knudson's booming drum fill was mimed by another excited fan.
"Question time," Martin announced during a break between songs. Holding a vinyl of outtakes from their latest album, 'Scatterbrain', he told the crowd the best question wins a copy. Questions shot out from the crowd: song requests; when they'll next visit; expressions of love.
But it was one question that stumped Martin: a fan pointed to her friend seated next to her and said she met Martin in the '70s when she was in school. Martin's eyes widened, stunned, and he broke his silence: "Yeah, you win."
At that moment, the band launched into the famed intro to their classic song 'Pink Frost', and phones appeared throughout the crowd, capturing a piece of perfect pop.
Demand for an encore thundered, and the band returned with the pared-back 'Hourglass' that hushed the crowd. Suddenly, Martin hit a distortion pedal and his guitar roared with 'I Love My Leather Jacket'.
Eruptions of applause followed, and many fans decided to escape the restraint of their theatre seating, gathering in front of the stage to let loose to the song's glam stomp.
As The Chills made a noisy finish, the crowd beamed with joy, hopeful that Martin stays true to his promise their next Brisbane visit won't take 30 years.
Read our recent Top 5 with Martin discussing the shows he's been streaming.
