City Calm Down: A few months ago, I saw them at the Grace Darling Hotel. There, a man in the crowd told me they’d
be big. In two years from now, he said, these boys will not be playing here.
Well, as it turned out, it was barely three months before they were to launch
their EP at the Toff in Town; already a big jump to quite an esteemed venue.
And it was a sold out event.

So, I hit up the Toff on Saturday
night for the occasion. Unfortunately, my best friend had fallen ill at the
last moment, leaving me by myself for the festivities. But, by the end of the
night, I’d forgotten I was alone.

After the first of the support acts, White Birds and Lemons, had
completed their last ever performance, Northeast Party House hit up the stage.
I had heard great things about this band: exciting, crazy, amazing... The list
goes on. There were also rumours that they rip up teddy bears and try to place
people under a net during their performances. Obviously I was intrigued.

Well, there was no ripping of
furry faux-animals, but their on-stage antics nonetheless stand out as some of
the most entertaining I’ve experienced. The boys seemed to have found their
niche on stage, losing their shit to their own music, and encouraging everybody
else to do the same. And so we did. One audience member, adorned with an
extravagant costume, lost himself in the front row, encouraging others to dance
along. Lead singer Zach and the synthesiser/percussionist Moritz stood out as they effortlessly interacted
with the crowd, at one point encouraging everybody to sit down and have a little
rave on the ground. "Dusk" was one track that prompted recognition from many in
the crowd, and although I didn’t know it at the time, I certainly do now
(thankyou, Triple J Unearthed). The whole set seemed like one giant party.
Northeast Party House set the mood for City Calm Down perfectly. And, as they
were all wearing City Calm Down t-shirts, they didn’t let the audience forget
why we were there.

But,
as the curtains were drawn apart and the atmosphere for the headliners seemed
perfect, some technical difficulties emerged. No band member wants to
experience that at a gig... No sound for the synth, little sound for microphones... So, although the City Calm Down experience was slightly delayed, the guys kept
at it. And it was worth it in the end, despite the inevitable disappointment
from the band members that it wasn’t 100 % perfect. Who cares? The fact that it
wasn’t perfect, and it was as good as it was, makes all the more reason for
people to come again. As they eventually embarked upon their set of
synthesisers and pop-melodies, lead vocalist Jack Bourke kept energy levels at
an exuberant high, and was complemented by his band mates Jeremy, Sam and
Michael. The venue was packed, but people were able to lose themselves
thoroughly anyway. Copies of the EP were given alongside ticket-purchases, so
it’s nice to have more familiarity with the tracks than I’d had last time. All
are melodic and dance-y, but the lyrics are not silly or incomprehensible, like
many other electronic artists these days. "Everyday" and "Lost. Trapped" are
both stand-out tracks, and you can’t go past the saxophone in "You Can Have It So Much Better". Complete with a show of lights, smoke and indelible
exuberance, City Calm Down have set themselves up to gather quite a following.
And to top it off, the EP is a nice little snippet of all they have to offer.

I
can’t wait for the day when these guys and Northeast
Party House really break through. Take note of this, industry heavy weights.
Please.