Project Description

POLISH CLUB

+ All Our Exes Live in Texas 

+ Sweater Curse

@ The Factory Theatre

(Live Review)

14/07/2018

Reviewer: Aaron Christensen

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Polish Club

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Sydney rock duo Polish Club returned to their home town to complete the second part of their ‘Polish Club with Horns’ tour, with support from Brisbane indie rock trio Sweater Curse and Sydney country/alternative folk group All Our Exes Live in Texas. Living up to their self-assigned description, Polish Club served up one of the sweatiest live shows, with the horn section, led by Winston Surfshirt trombonist Benn Chapman, adding a special kind of horny funk to the soul-thrash duo.

The night started with Brisbane outfit Sweater Curse, who delivered a very tidy set, with lead singer Monica’s vocals sounding like a mixture of Alex Lahey and Danielle Haim of HAIM. An extremely talent three-piece, with interspersed vocals from guitarist Chris and incredible drumming from Rei. Expect to be hearing a lot more of this trio.

Following on from Sweater Curse were four hyper-talented ladies, All Our Exes Live in Texas, with their bold blend of folk and country and brilliant vocal harmonies somewhat reminiscent of The Dixie Chicks. Featuring a guitar, a ukulele, mandolin and accordion, All Our Exes Live in Texas are perhaps the most unique group I have ever had the pleasure to see live. Four ladies, four instruments, four songwriters and four very distinctive voices, they put on a live show that is hauntingly enthralling. They played through a mix of their songs, with notable tracks and melodies such as Candle and When The Sun Comes Up and the heartbreaking World War III. Signed to ABC Music and winning the 2017 ARIA for Best Blues and Roots for their debut album When We Fall, All Our Exes Live in Texas are a powerful, evocative and moving quartet that are surely destined to become one of the finest folk acts.

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Polish Club

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After a short break the main act came out, Polish Club, the humorous two piece soul rock duo, flanked by a brass quintet of two saxophones, a sousaphone, trumpet and trombone. They ran through a multitude of songs, the majority their own but with some pop covers thrown in throughout. A banter-filled set, the duo played a mix of songs from their 2017 ARIA nominated debut album Alright, Already and their surprise EP from the same year, Okie Dokie.

They played through their hit songs from Okie Dokie, such as Gimme Money and Back 2 U, supplemented by the brass section, they became ever more raucous and evocative. There was a plethora of songs from their self titled debut EP and their debut album, from the sweaty, rock thrashings of Beeping and Don’t Fuck Me Over, and throwing in a single from 2016, My House.

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Polish Club

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The majority of the songs Polish Club ran through were from their LP Alright, Already. Nominated for an ARIA for Best Rock Album in 2017, their debut album consists of short, blasting tracks like Beat Up, Watchuknow, Where U Been?, and the lead single Come Party. Along with these blistering, sweaty, thrashing songs were more Polish Club’s more sombre, heartfelt tracks, like Divided and How To Be Alone. The fast-paced soul-rock was amplified and complemented by the addition of the brass ensemble, adding an incredibly rich, deep texture to the tracks. The initial set ended with another original and a cover of Powderfinger’s (Baby I’ve Got You) On My Mind, and was continued with an encore with All Our Exes Live in Texas with a handful of covers, notably Stop Right There by the Spice Girls.

Polish Club are one of those bands that sound better live than they do on a record – and that’s saying something. An undeniably talented duo, their songs are an injection of soul infused rock that serves up something different than the majority of rock bands in Australia. There is less intensity and heaviness in the music, instead being playful, engaging and so much fun. If you ever get a chance to see any of these acts, do yourself a favour and go.

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AMNPLIFY – DB