Live Review: The Wombats, Cloud Control, Eves Karydas

Brisbane is reaching its yearly prime time for everything live music related. Every week seems to host major acts in our city’s finest spots. This week’s highlight – The Wombats at Riverstage. There’s no better way to spend a Friday night than a few international superstars bringing their best on one of the biggest stages in Brisbane. Add in support by Eves Karydas and Cloud Control and you’ve got yourself one hell of a night. Brisbane seemed to be thinking the same thing, with thousands swarming the gates.

Eves Karydas opens the night and seemingly wins herself a bunch of new fans, starting a set to a crowd unfamiliar, and finishing with an undeniable atmosphere and audience engagement. There For You shows a powerful side of Karydas, giving off major Lana Del Ray vibes, and becomes the definitive highlight of Karydas’ set.

Cloud Control know how to put on a great show, and tonight’s performance is no exception. The three-piece band appear aptly named while performing with precision and control, effortlessly producing a sense of euphoria for themselves, as though they’re walking on clouds. The audience feels at ease, calm and content. Fans rock out for favourite tracks like Rainbow City, Panopticon and Promises. Heidi Lenffer’s voice remains a siren call to all, captivating and filled with passion. Heidi, her brother Ulrich Lenffer and Alister Wright on stage display three vibrant personalities that allow Cloud Control to build an unbreakable connection with the audience, not in how they address the crowd, but how they perform to them.

And finally, the time has come for us to go wild. It’s The Wombats - gracing Australian grounds for the second time this year after a headlining Splendour In The Grass set in July. With a crowd already up and dancing, we hear Cheetah Tongue first. If there is such thing as a perfect show, The Wombats deliver it. We hear hit after hit, every track more energetic than the last. It's at Lemon To A Knife Fight that we find our first major highlight. Thousands of people literally screaming in unison, what more could you want? Frontman Matt Murphy is cheeky, gracious and filled with talent. The band’s bassist Tord Overland Knudsen, who we all know as ‘Tord the Lord’, seems to have a dance move to accompany every chord.

Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves), Moving To New York and Your Body Is A Weapon excite crowds beyond compare. The Wombats manage to make every song a hit, but these few really rile audiences up. That last song especially makes us sweat, scream, dance and maybe cry. Greek Tragedy brings the night to a close, with giant balloons bouncing through the tops of the audience. We want more. Leaving us on a high, like they always do, The Wombats bid us a good night and farewell, our voices lost and our hearts full after a show without faults.