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After doing some major supports this year for the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen and Gang of Youths, Fountaineer kicked off the first leg of their album launch tour at the Worker’s Club in Melbourne last night. With two great supports from Backyard and a solo set from Slowcoaching, this show was a treat that packed out the venue.

Usually in front of a live band, Dean Valentino aka Slowcoaching performed a brilliant stripped back set of released and upcoming tracks. With only his voice and a guitar, the simple but wholesome sound of Slowcoaching deserved to be played to a larger audience than what was there. Dean told us a lot of things weren’t exactly going great for him before starting the set but that didn’t hold him back from delivering tracks like Pillars of Salt and Fernweh with as much, if not more, gusto than their recorded versions. It was great hearing some backstories for songs to get a feel for the lyrics, and all in all it was a brilliant intimate set that gave more in it’s simplicity. An act to look out for.

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Mates of Fountaineer, Backyard, gave us country tinged rock with a thick Aussie accent in the lead vocals, working perfectly as a support act. Aiming his guitar like a rifle and having very direct dance moves showed an enjoying comfortability from Backyard’s frontman Adnan Kadric, hand movements and eyes focused on the microphone, giving off great character. Half way through the set, we heard other vocalist/guitarist Leon Andrews take the lead and smash out a track, which felt like a pretty class act for the band to do. Before playing their next song Kadric simply said “…and this is a country song” which, to what I believe is one of the most hot or cold genres, was a great thing to do, fully embracing of what their sound is and absolutely rocking it at the same time. Giving off personality, feel good vibes and a show of talent, Backyard definitely got the crowd ready for the headlining act whilst showing us what they could do.

The stage was set for the brothers and friends from Bendigo to get up and smash out a rocking show, a light with “Greater City, Greater Love” on it was turned on, all that was left was the set to start. Kicking it off with the first track on their debut record Sirens, Pts. 1 & 2, they got the crowd’s energy built from the start, letting us know the exact kind of energy their going to see up on stage for the whole show. Frontman Tony White brought his stiff, almost Peter Garret style dance moves that you can’t help but feel is a pivotal part of Fountaineer’s stage performance. Moving into more songs from Greater City, Greater Love, Fountaineer powered through their set list giving us awesome renditions of their tracks Grand Old Flags, Still Life, Lights Beyond the Edge of Town.

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About two thirds of the way through the set, everyone but Tony left the stage, he began sining and as he was repeating the same verse his voice got more and more powerful. The band began to walk back out on stage, join in with Tony and build to a great climax as a unit. We got into the final two tracks of the set, the first being their most popular single from their album, The Cricketers, which is a track that gives you a whole different, but equally enjoyable, experience live. And to finish off in true Fountaineer fashion they played I Will Become/Hinges On (which a man in the crowd had been chanting for since half way through the set). Especially with those building drums, this is simply a song that you have to see live to experience it in full force. Looking as though an incredibly fun and catchy jam session up on stage, the guys up gave everything thing they had left, Francis White, on drums, only having half a right drum stick left by the end of the track; now that’s commitment.

To see a few men from Bendigo give such a passionate performance of songs about the town they grew up in is simply invigorating. You can see the dedication they have up on stage that they just love being there in front of a crowd, throughout the night we got humbly spoken to by Tony about their appreciation they have for that many people simply coming to their show. Fountaineer are certainly a band that deserve to blow up, not only would a new fan be welcomed to great, original music but to see them live is a fantastic experience that’s hard to find in up and coming bands and artists these days.

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AMNPLIFY – DB