Project Description
TROPICAL F**K STORM
+ Fourteen Nights at Sea & Hey Lady!
@ The Cambridge
04/05/18
(Live Review)
by Jess Moog
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Live music, frosty fruits and stormy Sunday arvos are a few of my absolute favourite things. So when I heard that a band called Tropical F**k Storm was playing a gig in Newcastle, I was obviously very interested.
My evening was a success, with the eclectic Melbourne four-piece putting on a remarkable show at the Cambridge Hotel, the second stop along their national Laughing Death in Meatspace tour. Their brilliantly raw tunes and unapologetic attitude made for some absolutely juicy ear-food, and created a brilliant night for all involved.
The first act to grace the stage was Newy band Hey Lady!. These cool musos have been making music for a few years now, and put on a great show for the small crowd accumulating in the Cambo. Their busy alt-rock sound was captivating to say the least, especially considering there were only bloody two of them up there. Their songs were met with sincere applauses from the crowd, and they left the stage chuffed.
Fourteen Nights at Sea were on next. As soon as they hopped on stage I was immediately hit with this incredible grungy, melancholic music, and right from the beginning I was absolutely HOOKED. The singer’s silky voice was accompanied by soft and thundery instrumentals, creating a soundtrack that actually made me feel like I was floating in the middle of the ocean. Their sensational outros were on the same calibre of groups like beautiful South West London souls the XX, and concluded their performance superbly.
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Tropical F**k Storm // Dan Turner Photography
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After a swift toilet break and a drink, out came Tropical F**k Storm in all their glory. Although the room was relatively small, the support acts had warmed up the crowd nicely, so the floor was already buzzing with eager faces. The band instantly kicked off with a fun raspy tune, throwing me straight into the deep end of their incredibly unique sound.
As we paddled further into their set, I became even more fascinated by their crazy vibe. Lauren, the drummer, was absolutely on point, as were the back-up vocals, which complimented Gareth’s brassy voice way too perfectly. In fact, the group’s incredibly equal showcasing of both the main vocals and the female singers was really admirable, and worked in favour of their quirky image.
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Tropical F**k Storm // Dan Turner Photography
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TFS maintained their starkly dope music quality throughout the entire show, with their tune ‘Rubber Bullies’ going down as one of my personal favourites. It was clear that their personalities matched their music, with the between-song banter sounding eerily similar to their rough-as-guts lyrics. The crowd responded with consistent swaying, a small portion of head-banging and a lot of woohoo’s, which are usually all tell-tale signs of a decent gig. I was actually really stoked to see the incredibly varied crowd demographic also, with show-goers ranging from bumfluff-faced 18 year olds to pensioners in fleece jumpers and jeans. Being able to appeal to such a diverse group of people shows just how far-reaching and unique their sound truly is. Very impressive!
They ended the show with a rocky tune that sent the whole room nuts, and waltzed off stage to a giant cheer followed by a very persistent ‘encore’ chant. Although I, too, would’ve loved to see another song, the band was clearly pooped, so the crowd eventually gave up and accepted that the night had come to a close.
Tropical F**k Storm, eh? What a wonderful whirlwind of a night.
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