Live Review: The Kin, Iluka, Jacob Diamond

With the bar staff appropriately bloody and the bar covered in significantly more spider webs than the last time I checked, Friday night’s Halloween gig at the Rosemount entertained a small but eager crowd.

Kicking off the night was Perth’s own Jacob Diamond and his band of two. Showcasing his sweet vocal charm, he wrapped his way around a set full of originals across a range of styles – notably, an almost entirely spoken-word country tune – as well as a brilliant cover of Kimbra’s Settle Down (much to the delight of the younger female dancers up the front).

Up next was Sydney’s Iluka with a strong solo set (unless you count her “guitar bestie” onstage with her). Clearly influenced by a past generation along the lines of Janis Joplin, each of her songs displayed soaring vocal melodies, all with that familiar vibe reminiscent of your mum’s old record collection from the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Adelaide’s Korren brothers and the-guy-they-picked-up-on-the-New-York-Subway, The Kin, played an energetic and entertaining show to their small, dedicated crowd. Who needs drumsticks when you have fingers seems to be the mindset of the American drummer Shakerleg who, with tape wrapped around his fingers, proceeded to spend the hour treating his hands as drumsticks against his one giant drum and several cymbals so fiercely it’s a wonder he didn’t bleed or break anything.

With harmonies that fit together like only siblings’ do, The Kin made their way through their gritty pop set with much gusto. Such guitar. Very wow! And, true to his style of hitting anything and everything, Shakerleg used just a clipboard and his keys to drum along to the stripped-back, acoustic tune The Weekend. Another acoustic number, Mary, was played entirely unplugged and offstage, surrounded by the audience, with a road case being used as the drum. Jumping into well-known track and title of the latest release, Get On It, they started to take it up a notch in intensity and held things there for the remainder of the set.

Leaving and making the audience wait all of about 15 seconds seemed hardly necessary for the one-song obligatory encore (not that anyone seemed to mind), the guys wrapped up the night full of energy and engaging with everyone in the room. They played a great live show, and hey, any pop band that can fit in time for a didgeridoo solo is alright by me.