Live Review: Full Flower Moon Band, Hydra Fashion Week, Sunfruits

As the early bird punters file in for opening act Sunfruits, the night’s headliner is taking tickets at the door. Known offstage as Kate Dillon, the singer is a jovial mile from her more serious stage persona, chatting away with mates and flogging homemade merch. Meanwhile, Sunfruits are bringing some sweet indie-pop vibes to the proceedings, bopping along on stage to some sunny psychedelic sounds. While the quartet are down a guitarist tonight, the resulting trio fill the room with some much-needed rock radiance, punctuating their set with a brilliant, unreleased ode to everyone’s favourite plant-based dairy alternative, 'Bonsoy'.

Usually words like “indescribable” and “unbelievable” are synonymous with a good time in the context of a gig review. However, they’re still just as applicable when referring to Hydra Fashion Week. Also lacking their full line-up tonight, the band present as a two-guitar duo for the show, leading their nu-jazz-fusion-sludge to sound a little more aimless than usual. A clamorous blending of obscure chords and autotune makes for songs that are near impossible to pinpoint stylistically, though by the end of the set the crowd seem to have finally climbed on board. A cheeky cover of Right Said Fred’s I’m Too Sexy goes a long way in that regard.

Full Flower Moon Band have never really subscribed to the conventions of traditional rock‘n’roll, and nowhere is this more evident than in the group’s decision to take to the stage early. The four-piece are clearly champing at the bit to get the ship sailing, and Dillon (also know by the affectionate moniker of Babyshakes) is firmly at the tiller.

Flower Moon Band. Photos by Monique Pizzica.

The formation of the band has morphed and mutated a number of times over the last few years - from Dillon as a soloist in the early days to a drum-laden two-piece on their last tour with Gabriella Cohen. While it would be easy to assume that the sound would evolve with it, the genius of the Babyshakes brand is that this is hardly the case. Dillon is one of the hardest working rockers on the circuit, and with such a powerhouse fronting the tunes, they still sound as raw and expertly underproduced as when she was going it alone.

Throughout the night, the axe-wielding Dillon takes no prisoners with her electrifying stage presence. Somehow she perfectly melds the confident swagger of ‘70s-era Robert Plant with the straightforward professionalism of Angel Olsen and Jess Ribeiro. By the time closing track and new single Roadie swings into play, the crowd are a sweaty mess of exhaustion and energy. Full Flower Moon Band have played for less than half an hour all told, yet it feels like a blissful eternity.