@alpaca.presents by Brandon van der Berg @vdb.brandon Sound Engineer for the night was @rowan_deversound
Mallavora and Gürl are two bands that were originally showcased on our FIRST piece of publication released in late April of 2023 and around 20,000 published words later, here we are. What a time to be alive ey? These bands have grown massively as performers and artists. Additionally, TRUNC absolutely blew the Alpaca team away. Collectively, what an absolutely breath-taking night that got even the team moshing, me consequently missing a phone that fell out of my pocket (Thank you dearly to the girl who handed it back to me), Exchange Main Room packed and a gosh darn riveting lineup of music that followed each other like a fine 3-course meal, with a lot of beer to pair. Read about the night below. Mallavora
No time is wasted in showing off how much they can raise the dynamic in a venue room. Such immediacy to get the show going. Ripping through stereo in a deeply atmospheric statement of blunt rage and horror, seeing such a massive sound come out of an opening act is really rare and quite startling. I don’t know what it is but the drummer radiates cool dad energy. He also has a brilliant understanding of where and when to smack the umph into the beat. As should be clear I do not do drummer speak, but it was very good. There is a nonchalance that mixes with performative giddiness in a really cool way and during a song I can only assume is called “Imposter”, when the hook comes out there is this silly carelessness in a bounce or exaggerated nod of the head from the frontwoman that really drives it home. A brilliant range of musicianship. There was one lead line that was slightly hilariously long and complicated to ask people to participate in a sing-along but people were entertained and had fun. There is a consistency in their songwriting that is sought after by a lot of bands and the fact they can keep the energy up for the entire duration of the set is impressive. Mallavora, being on the first piece of publication we released back in April, have really stepped their game up since. For Fans Of Bring Me The Horizon and Muse. Find them on Instagram or Spotify TRUNC Before the set, “Oops… I did it again” by Britney Spears is completely taken over by a flurry of cymbals and an electronic backing track. There is a disorientated freedom that explodes beneath your feet into the first chorus. Often you hear the percussion phonetically mumbling before looking up and seeing the drummer going ham on an electronic pad, similar experimentation with phasing, filters and progression in the songwriting especially their attention to a diverse and eye ear-catching arrangement filled it with punch and really makes you want to keep watching. Imagine that one film you love that has constant twists and turns with tasteful intent and not just for the sake of having a lot of things happening. One song that goes on for what must have been less than a minute in protest to the anti-LGBTQ+ movements of the Church made me and another member of the team turn to each other and in a beautiful synchronicity go “That was f*cking awesome”. In regards to performances, at no time did I see a member let go of an enthusiastically emotive and thrillingly dynamic performance, it never felt like any of them were fighting for the spotlight and there was never any kind of energy dividing the aweing feeling of ‘you go girl’. There is a really subtle development not only within the songwriting of each song but with the set in general; you barely notice it before a totally massive explosion hits you. The only thing that would have made the experience better is a more attentive personal connection between audience and band in the fronting which, where the transitions were flawless and impressive, sometimes felt in place of speaking to us as people and not a consuming mass, but this is me being picky, they really killed it. For Fans Of Paramore and Sea Girls. Find them on Instagram or Spotify. Gürl Fallout Boy jumps out at you in the most bizarre ways, Ashnikko, a constantly addressed elephant in the room and then Bring Me The Horizon sits in the corner playing with serrated candy canes. An ecstatically jumped-up fusion of perfectly random influences that rev you up like a 19-year old sound cloud rapper’s first Honda Civic. A level of harmony that feels overwhelmingly synthetic and beautifully personal succeeded by an expression of leather, guilt, rage and revenge that would set your local repressed pastor free. Glam ADHD with a bloodlust and the sugar rush to see it through. Everything is out on the table and they revel in playing with their food. Behind each lyric is insecurity that has been overcome, mistakes that have been outgrown and love that has been lost and gained over and over. Songs like “Mezze Life” and “Crying in Nightclub Bathrooms” are something everyone needs to experience live; a really great practical for any scientists out there that want a visual representation of potential kinetic energy. Quiet and restricted to total euphoric rage in a heartbeat. There is this tragic irony in their dramatic, sad moments that you can feel in all of its rich relatability flooding like a sobering gut feeling. They seemed tired, drained and sightly nervous, like staring down the final set at the gym covered in sweat and ready to pour your shaking body into it one last time. By the end of it I felt more awake than I’ve felt in months. What a fantastic live set. For Fans Of Ashnikko, Bring Me The Horizon and Fall Out Boy. Find them on Instagram or Spotify
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