Lime Cordiale
4th October 2019
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Alexis Brook. Photography by Richard MyBurgh.
Having recently returned from a six-week UK tour, and just started what appears to be a positively jam-packed thirty-plus date summer tour across Australia and NZ through to the New Year; Lime Cordiale rocked the Powerstation last night with funky indie pop riffs and many an earworm that left the all-ages crowd utterly buzzing.
Opening the evening were local bands Dolphin Friendly hailing from Christchurch and Blenheim born, but now Auckland based, Daily J. With a comfortably crowded floor, it is always great to see an audience present for more than just the headliners. Displaying an ease for being on stage Daily J’s harmonies were decidedly polished, and who doesn’t love the trend of bringing back woodwind into rock bands? The crowd whooping and cheering whenever the saxophone solos appeared. With elements of 50’s surf rock guitar and reggae-esque riffs, ‘By the Sea’ and ‘Space’ from their 2017 EP The Other Side got the crowd grooving; ‘Black Lagoon’ a popular favourite, having been released earlier this year and receiving great radio play. Keep a close eye on this group; their sound is very catchy, and another EP is already in the works!
With a perfectly warmed up crowd, Lime Cordiale, in their five-piece touring format, took over the stage reins with ease. Playing most tracks from their 2017 album Permanent Vacation, the hooks in ‘Dirt Cheap’, and ‘Can I Be Your Lover’ demand your toes to start tapping, whilst the comedic performance quirks of Louis intermixed with his singing are infectious, and you can’t help but connect with this bands energy. The camaraderie with his brother Oli is a delight to watch, the banter shared with their Kiwi keyboardist Felix Bornoldt just as entertaining; drummer James Jennings, and trombonist/guitarist Nick Polovineo completing the rhythm section. Again, it’s lovely to see classical woodwind instruments being rocked out on stage or maybe I’m just a band geek. Oli even whipped out a clarinet for a song or two!
Calling out to the all agers on the balcony, and to those with fake IDs on the R18 floor, ‘What Is Growing Up’ started the crowd surfing, as Louis walked the barrier between fans and stage. This audience engagement, coupled with the playful lyrics, is what makes this band so engaging, and definitely memorable for all present. New single ‘Robbery’ (also the title name of this particular tour) is a crowd hit and riles everyone up for a rousing chant of “Encore! Encore!”; the band returning for ‘Temper, Temper’, and ‘Waking Up Easy’.
A fantastic night out, I particularly loved their cover of fellow Australian band The Divinyls ‘I Touch Myself’, not just because I love my 90’s cheese, but because they performed it with authenticity while packaging it up in their own Cordiale sound (and they even squeezed in a bit of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Sexual Healing’, very nice indeed). Recently signed by the one and only Post Malone and his manager Dre London to a co-management and label deal with Sydney based Chugg Music, these down-under stars are surely on the international rise and we can no doubt expect to see more of them on a global scale.
Lime Cordiale’s summery sound really is an all-weather treat, and I for one am absolutely looking forward to playing a lot of these guys now that daylight savings and those warm lazy summer days are on the horizon. Beach, beer and a band from Northern Sydney – it’s starting to sound a bit Home and Away, really.
Were you there at the Powerstation for this magnificent alternative pop-rock gig? Or have you seen Lime Cordiale perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Hanging Upside Down
- Dirt Cheap
- Can I Be Your Lover
- Up In The Air
- I Touch Myself [Divinyls cover]
- What Is Growing Up?
- Not That Easy
- Naturally
- Inappropriate Behaviour
- Robbery
- Temper Temper [encore]
- Waking Up Easy [encore]
- Money [encore]
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