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LIVE REVIEW: Wavves at Max Watts, Melbourne

Post-festival gigs can at times feel strange. While presumably not all punters attended the preceding festival, there still lingers a feeling of tiredness, of lacking excitement and/or anticipation. Prior to their set, it felt like this could have been the case for Wavves‘ show last Sunday night. Post gig conversation related mainly to Falls Festival, and the sunburn incurred- and though support acts Wet Lips and The Babe Rainbow were excellent in their own right, it wasn’t until Wavves took the stage that their was a noticeable shift in atmosphere. It takes a pretty good band to lift that sort of funk.

Melbourne band Wet Lips were first to play, to a mostly seated audience. Their garage rock sound was perfectly suited to an intimate venue like Max Watts, and despite suffering from illness, the trio was still able to perform a strong set for the audience. While the punters in the bar may have been low in energy, Wet Lips made up for what we lacked, becoming increasingly more solid sounding with every track performed. Considering their prowess in garage music, it was almost humorous to witness the vast difference between them and following band, The Babe Rainbow.

Ditching the perfectly off centre nature of garage rock in favour for the psychedelic nature of surf rock, The Babe Rainbow‘s set was as chill as it gets. Their Falls set saw the band dressed completely in 70’s get up, but for this, their outfits were much more low-key- just shorts and no shoes, what you’d expect from a beachside pub. Their performance however, was every bit as solid. While surf rock most definitely isn’t for everyone, they executed a performance that would be adored by anyone into that kind of thing, and considered enjoyable at the very least even for those who aren’t. As their set progressed, the crowd began to thicken, and morale slowly began to pick up just in time for Wavves to kick off.

Wavves were, subjectively of course, one of the best acts to play at this year’s Falls Festival, so it was no wonder that tonight’s show bragged an almost packed out venue. Any fears about lacking energy I may have held prior to them taking the stage were quashed instantly, as the audience was clearly more than ready for round two. After a brief intro of Slim Dusty‘s G’day G’day, and a cry of “Whats up Melbourne?!”, they were off- and the crowd loved it.

To call Wavves “high energy” is an understatement. They are reminiscent of the pop-punk bands from yesteryear, with a very welcome modern twist. This was a good ol’ fashioned punk show, and anyone that was into that scene around the 2009 era would be punched in the gut with a huge wave (pun not intended) of nostalgia. As it is though, these shows always seem fleeting; their almost hour long set felt like it lasted all of twenty minutes, but that’s not to say it wasn’t a wholly enjoyable time.

This was the last date of their Australian tour, and if they were tired from all the travelling they definitely didn’t show it. As the set progressed, they played with seemingly endless adrenalin, with the crowd throwing that energy right back to them. A highlight from their set was favourite Way Too Mucharguably one of the band’s most popular tracks. At times during the song, singer Nathan Williams’ distinguished vocals were almost drowned out by the audience singing back to him, a feat that is admirable for any young band.

At Falls, Wavves played in the thick of the heat wave to an energised, but very, very sunburnt crowd. Here, at Max Watts, the vibe was something vastly different. The pit was seething, and getting through the rest of the surrounding crowd to access the bar or toilet was a near impossible task. Though it may have looked like we were in for a disappointing night at the start, its clear now that Wavves can draw a happy crowd no matter the circumstances. Melbourne loves Wavves, and judging by their brief interactions with us -which consisted of many thank you’s “just for showing up”- they loved us too.