Youth Group @ Black Bear Lodge Review

It has been a number of years since the public have heard from Australian, indie stalwarts Youth Group.

In 2006, they came into the mainstream consciousness after a cover of 'Forever Young' was featured on the soundtrack to a sappy scene in 'The OC'.

Youth Group - Image © Amanda Starkey

From there they were catapulted to the top of the charts and filling larger venues – one of which was the amphitheatre at the Woodford Folk Festival, where I have a clear memory of audience numbers significantly reducing after the ‘hit song’. This is a price that is paid by many an indie band, especially for those that made their way on to a 'Songs From The OC' compilation.

Click here to for photos from the show.

After releasing another album and going on an indefinite hiatus, Youth Group have returned to celebrate the vinyl release and ten-year anniversary of the album that made those in the know prick up their ears, the seminal sophomore 'Skeleton Jar'. With these shows, they’ve been showing just why they are as great live as their recorded output.

Opening the night at Black Bear Lodge (4 July) was Brisbane-based performer Adrian Mauro, under the one-man band guise of Machine Age. Equipped with an electric guitar, a few pedals, and a sampler, Adrian began his set with song that could be described as Jeff Buckley-esque; sweetly crooning over some arpeggio guitar notes that was quite soft and sleepy.

This start turned out to be misleading as Adrian proceeded to construct a glitchy beat using samples of live clatter created with muted-guitar notes fed through a delay pedal, which led to quite a constructive piece of indie pop and living up to the name of this project.

The lack of band members on stage made it easier for Adrian to move around the stage and rock out to his mixture of Postal Service beats and Bloc Party guitar work; making him an easy fit in terms of style with the headliners of the night.

Adrian’s style led to a very unique take on the Ginuwine track 'Pony', which he precluded as “funny”, but was just as sultry as the original thanks to his guitar playing.

Following Machine Age was the new project of Dean McGrath, formerly of local favourites Hungry Kids Of Hungary, Rolls Bayce. The group were definitely an interesting choice for support, as they dealt in a completely different sound to the indie pop they were bookended by.

Rolls Bayce deal more in the garage psychedelia that has come back into style thanks to the likes of Tame Impala. What makes Rolls Bayce stand out from their west-coast forebears is they favour matching their hooks with grooves rather than textures, creating a sound that could easily soundtrack an exploitation film from the '70s.

The rhythm section is what creates this vibe, with funky basslines created with fingers dexterous like the feet of a ballerina playing off muscular drumming. While their music was catchy, with 'Don’t Get Me Wrong' and their closing riff odyssey being highlights, the band didn’t seem to fit the vibe of the place.

Rolls Bayce were too loud for such a small space like Black Bear Lodge, and those watching didn’t seem the type to dance. I’m more than certain that Rolls Bayce would flourish on festival stages where they’d be most appreciated.

After Rolls Bayce finished, the small space that is Black Bear Lodge became cramped thanks to the number of punters who entered to welcome the long awaited return to Brisbane of Youth Group.

It was comforting to see so many fans come out to reminisce the songs actually written by the band, which are just as melodic as the song that probably became a millstone for them.

The first song to be performed was album opener Shadowlands, signalling that not only were they playing the album in full, but also in order as they appeared on the album. This made the set ebb and flow perfectly, showing the album’s sequencing was perfectly predicted for a live setting.

Tob Martin - Image © Amanda Starkey

Lead vocalist Toby Martin was able to sigh through such lyrical gems as: “I feel like hell, you feel like dancing” and “you wanted change, but you could only change your clothes”, despite his loss of voice that he mentioned.

Despite this, Martin promised a show that would lead to some unique arrangements “like a Bob Dylan show”. The band certainly delivered on the uniqueness of this show, as their engagement with their fans created a warm atmosphere.

Realising he wasn’t going to be able to deliver vocally, Martin called out for anyone to join them on stage to sing lead on 'Baby Body', with the fan who took on singing duties absolutely slaying.

Singer from the crowd - Image © Amanda Starkey

Along with the chorus of voices that joined in on every song, Martin prompted the audience to sing 'Happy Birthday' to guitarist Cameron Emerson-Elliott. After playing all of the songs from the album, along with a couple of bonus cuts, the band retired from the stage from the evening.

But, not wanting them to leave the party too early, the band gave in to the chants for an encore to power through Toby Martin’s ailment to deliver a couple of shorter songs, with Cameron adding the rest of the group conceded because “it’s [his] fucking birthday”.

With the amount of love coming from the audience, Youth Group showed that it wasn’t 'Forever Young' that inspired the devoted to attend, but the mixture of solid tunes and bonding with their fans.

Youth Group are one of the most engaging bands in the Australian indie scene, and it is great to see them return and experience them once again in a perfect setting.

Click here to for photos from the show.