It had been almost two years since I last caught Sydney band The Holidays live; their exciting pop songs sticking with me for a very long time. Tonight they were (finally) back in Melbourne to show off their new single, a plethora of new material, with the addition of a fifth member for the night, all in the intimate surrounds of the John Curtain Bandroom. It was destined to be a great Saturday festivity.

The new tunes felt fresh like a Hawaiian holiday (no pun intended). Third song in was the single that ought them back to the fore-front of people’s, and Triple J’s mind, ‘Moonlight Hours’. Representing the band’s new take with jungle-infused beats, ‘Moonlight Hours’ sees 4 out of the 5 taking to various percussion instruments, beating them with all their might! 

All new tunes were played from an impending debut full-length, but one older track and definite crowd-pleasure, ‘Holiday’ felt just as fresh as when I first saw it played, the lyrics sung along to just as easy as before. Their new songs (which unfortunately remained nameless throughout the night) pick up this surfy feel, creating lots of beach-y imagery, although I don’t feel they have that same witty feeling to them as their older songs. With a set ten or so minutes shy of an hour, it would have been great to hear songs such as ‘The Lovers’ and ‘Lived in Motels’ too, but they still force you to get up and have a dance, in particular the single that bought them to Carlton for the night, ‘Golden Sky’.

The Holidays create light-hearted pop songs, and though they have bought a bit of a new twist to the old formula, they still know how to make a crowd have fun.