As the curtains pull back, red lights blaze, and the stage is flooded with smoke, everyone inside the main room at Oxford Art Factory are carried back a few decades in time. Ian Curtis takes centre stage.
No wait! It’s Jack Bourke from City Calm Down.
Looking like they have stepped straight out of an East London club around 30 years back, these four strapping lads fill the room with luscious synths, echoing electric guitar and a massive booming Joy Division kick. Donning matching black slacks and long sleeved shirts buttoned to the very top, they open with Border on Control, the second track from their brand new album In a Restless House. Beautiful harmonies played on bass and unapologetically ’80s synths climb underneath Bourke’s steadfast vocals. These guys are pure drama, mood, and emotion, while having the most perfect of manners.
A sax player and a trumpet player enter stage right, although barely discernible through the thick smoke. The dramatic church like organ introduces the start of their latest single, Son. The punchy horn lines add even more depth to their already rich and polished live sound. A sweet, catchy, melodic synth hook is joined by all four voices in softly sung falsetto. And with a little vocal flourish lifted almost exactly from The Never Ending Story theme song, we stay firmly planted somewhere back in the early ’80s.
Sense of Self causes a gentle stir of excitement, as the rockier drums and bass kick in. The synth swells and chugging drums induce Bowie like dancing from Bourke, which looks as awesomely obscure and un-rhythmic as it does cool. Falling starts with a big driving synth, and an ever so slightly punk-ish vibe, equipped with chugging bass and drums, and a soft vocal breakdown over sweet melodic bass. To finish the song, Bourke’s perfectly timed hand signal with his back to the band adds to the drama of the show.
Bourke graciously announces that the last time they played in Sydney it was to a mere 300 people. Now, City Calm Down are playing the biggest headline show of their career. And this gig is the first of two back to back sold out Sydney shows. The crowd are (quietly) thrilled. Despite the line of sultrily grooving ladies in the front row, these fans are a placid yet obviously devoted bunch.
City Calm Down have an effortless air of awkward and cool. They are heavy with sincerity in the delivery of their songs and their anthem like instrumentation completely floods the space that they inhabit. Bourke’s tambourine tapping, and his lanky dance moves around his solitary mic stand are as earnest as his voice. All this teamed with an impressive and super pro light show make this band as compelling to watch as they are to listen to.
Watch: City Calm Down – Son
