Project Description

BALLPARK MUSIC

@ Badlands Carpark

4/3/18

(Live Review)

Review by Vicky Hebbs 

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There is a chill in the air and Badlands is packed. We are in the Badlands Carpark and it turns out to be such a great venue for Ball Park Music, because in the open air their sound isn’t stifled and everything is louder and bolder.

Lead singer Sam Cromack gets the set going with smooth number ‘Cocaine Lion’. The electric guitar riff at the end has a louder twang on stage that teases at some of the awesome guitar yet to come. ‘Cost of Lifestyle’s’ chorus is joyfully screamed by the crowd and is followed by dreamy number ‘Feelings’ that shows off the quality of Cromack’s original singing voice.

The band start with their slower, chill indie tracks and move into grunge and indie pop hits as the set progresses, following their sound evolution from their beginnings in 2008 to today.

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‘Literally Baby’ is a quirky song that swiftly moves from grungy vocals to a hyped finish, possibly borrowing from some of their ’70’s influences. ‘Sad Rude Future Dude’ is from the same album, Ball Park Music’s debut released in 2011, and has the same upbeat energy.  The crowd joins in loudest with the chorus, “I haven’t had friends in years, I only have sex with myself,” and they honestly are the most enjoyable lines to scream in the whole concert.

Cromack’s voice range is tested on ‘Leef’ with high notes he hits in a slightly wavering way that reminds me of something Paul McCartney-esque, perhaps a song from Wings.

Owing perhaps to their hugely eclectic range of influences from Nirvana to Queen, Ball Park Music are not easily categorised by any genre. Their earlier albums like Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs are filled with fast-paced indie pop, while their last album Every Night the Same Dream let loose with solid rock rhythms and grungy lyrics. The latest album, GOOD MOOD, is a return to their earlier indie sounds in a more confident, refined format, but ‘Hands Off My Body’ is still incredibly grungy and heavy on the synthesiser. The guitar solo near the end is far more intense live, nicely leading to bouncy track ‘Trippin’ the Light Fantastic’. Both songs are impossible to resist frantically dancing to.

The band send you through all the emotions, from the sweet crooning of tune It’s ‘Nice to Be Alive’ played solo acoustically by Cromack, to the raging hit, ‘She Only Loves Me When I’m There’.

Sometimes the outdoor setting muffles Sam’s voice, but when it does it doesn’t matter because the fans are always there to belt out the lyrics.

‘Surrender’ and recent single from GOOD MOOD, ‘Exactly How You Are’, are both delightfully feel good anthems that Cromack nails while bouncing around the stage. The encore is zany track ‘Frank’ from GOOD MOOD followed by ‘iFly’, the chorus of which, “I fucking love you, I think you’re pretty” reach everyone, from the people head banging at the front to couples singing the lyrics as they gaze into each other’s eyes. That’s what Ball Park Music does best – they appeal to so many people and so many styles of music that they cannot fail to please a crowd.

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Follow BALL PARK MUSIC

Dave Bruce

My nickname is “The Amnplifier”. Why? Because around here my focus is on being a conduit for providing greater outcomes that people come here for. My day to day “work” is living in the moment, and I love helping others concentrate on finding their connection to themselves through their experiences.

Why start a music environment? The truth is I love music, I love writing, and I love life. I work with musicians every day, and I feel certain that I will be until they put me in the ground. I have been managing people in businesses of some sort for over thirty five years so along the way I have developed some “wisdom” from my regular and constant “observations”.

Amnplify your experience. That is what we want you to do here, and if you want to let me know why you do, or don’t, shoot me a message on Facebook.

Hope you enjoy yourself here and find something that hits you somewhere.