Live Review: The Frowning Clouds

After a small stumble down the steep stairs leading to the Grace Darling Cellar, composure is regained and I push through the heavy door into the room where The Frowning Clouds will launch their new single Propellers/Bad Vibes. Tonight's support, The Living Eyes, arrange themselves at the front of the room, sharing the same carpet as those in attendance. Four candles provide the stage backlight. They launch straight into a driving garage pulse, filling the small venue with the sound of a bygone era. Once some mixing issues are sorted out early with some fatherly advice from the crowd, it's pretty hard to fault the set. The kids from Geelong rock hard but aren't abrasive, making them the perfect choice as tonight's warm up. Despite the intimate nature of the basement, there isn't a self-conscious moment. Early on in the piece, guitarist and singer Billy Gardner moves his microphone within a metre of the front row. The swelling audience show their appreciation with nodding heads and their full attention.

Like the support act, the venue is perfectly suited to The Frowning Clouds. Punters young and old are crammed in close, bar staff push through the crowd to grab bottles of bourbon for the bar upstairs, and there is just enough room for a makeshift merch table to sell some t-shirts and the new single. The members of the band leave different conversations in the crowd and head to the front. While they get set in their positions the crowd does the same. It is pretty hard to see anything due to the lack of a raised stage but their sound alone is enough. While not dressed in their usual mod garb, their set sounds straight out of the early '60s singles era. Despite their youth, The Frowning Clouds are seasoned professionals. Tight harmonies and instrumentation with just enough shambolic seasoning to bring out the best in their long list of great songs. The new single Propellers comes midway through the set, all giddy backing vocals and jaunty guitars. It goes down well, along with most of the other songs they play. It is particularly heartening to see the elder statesmen of the crowd digging the music. Bad Vibes nearly outshines its A-side, while earlier All Night Long truly gets the crowd excited. The Frowning Clouds keep their tunes short and sweet and the set refuses to lag. As the crowd gets tighter with latecomers joining in, some of the rock veterans head towards the back and are joined by a couple of girls who use the extra space to dance wildly. It is not often a gig lives up to all expectations. With a combination of a great venue, two talented bands and a healthy dose good spirits, this one sure does.