Project Description

THE ORWELLS

@ The Foundry

22 / 09 / 2017 (Live Review)

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Chicago rockers, The Orwells have touched down in Australia to play a string of festivals dates and side shows throughout September and October. The trip down under will see them performing as part of the Sweaty Palms festival, as well as the Yours & Owls festival.

The Orwells proved themselves as yet another worthwhile group who have graced the stage at The Foundry. However, what sets The Orwells apart from their contemporaries and other garage rock acts or alternative groups that you’ve previously seen at The Foundry is their infectious style and unruly stage presence in combination with their instrumental prowess. Combining glam flamboyance and skater cool, The Orwells embodied the cliche alternative / grunge kids you’d imagine were popular  when garage bands were at their peak in the 80s / 90s.

Walking into The Foundry; you felt as though you were taken back in time – intimidating the Seattle music scene of Grunge when Nirvana first raised to fame. The blacked out room was only electrified with disco balls turning The Foundry into an absolute dance party. An array of colours from individuals attire to the giant rainbow backdrop behind the stage, led individuals to be immersed in the crowd and have a jolly good time.

The show in question certainly didn’t lack energy to say the least. From the first song to the last, Mario Cuomo (lead singer) delivered stellar vocals and some crazy antics. Not to mention his bandmates — Henry Brinner on drums, Matt O’Keefe on guitar, and Grant Brinner on bass —  delivered a flawless musical performance.

Throughout the performance, Cuomo interacted with fans for the whole duration of their set – it was like he was always trying to lower himself into the crowd – continuous glares at fans, letting others run their fingers through his hair as he sings touching his forehead to other foreheads. Pulse fixating. The Orwells most definitely put their own twist to their shows leaving them truly unlike any other.

Things only seemed to get hotter in the mosh pit as the gig kept going. Crowd dive after crowd dive. The Orwells included in their set two of the leading songs from new album Terrible Human Beings – Vacation and They Put a Body in the Bayou. These songs as well as the remainder of the set  were greeted with enthusiasm and drunken moves as the Chicago rockers continued to turn up the heat in Brisbane.

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