Wednesday Lineup: Floodlights & Back Pocket

This gig was like no other I had been to in recent times.

Scanning my free (!!) ticket on the door resulted in being given a coupon for a free drink at the bar.

As I waded into the Espy’s Gershwin Room, there were bald heads and suit jackets aplenty.

Platters of sliders were being put down just as I made my way towards the bar and dozens, if not hundreds, of people were clenching their Four Pillars-branded paper cups containing their free G&T.

“Watermelon G&T, please,” I requested, smugly redeeming my free drink – conveniently containing the new gin that was the very reason for this promotional event.

Meanwhile, corporate handshakes were taking place and LinkedIn connections were being sent in the surrounds of one of Melbourne’s iconic band rooms.

Floodlights were the headliner of choice for this gin launch, an interesting choice given the suave, corporate-looking makeup of a lot of the crowd. But good luck convincing Floodlights lead man Louis Parsons that this gig was any lesser than the two sold-out shows the band have on Thursday and Friday night in Melbourne.

Within 10 minutes of Parsons being on stage, beads of sweat began to form as the lively vocalist and guitarist performed with vigour – perhaps not surprising, given that the very nature of a Floodlights song is emotion and passion, often tacking cultural issues.

“Out of sight and out of mind / Does that work in the dead of the night / Confusion lies / On stolen land / What did we build from / Who dealt this hand,” Parsons recites in ‘Small Town Pub’, a track off the band’s 2019 debut EP Backyard.

Minutes later, similar themes present themselves in ‘Lessons Learnt’. For the first time in the show, all members of the five-piece band take to their respective mics for the passionate, loud hook.

“Lessons learnt lessons forgotten / How can history repeat so often?”

‘Lessons Learnt’ also shows off the layers to the band. On top of the vocal contributions of all members, the harmonica and guitar of Ashlee Kehoe, the vigourous drums of Archie Shannon, the tidy bass of Joe Draffen and the tambourine of newest addition Sarah Hellyer – whose trumpet and keys provide unique textures to the band’s later tracks – combine to make a powerful live ballad.

The strangeness of the evening struck me at this point. The last time I heard this song live was at Meredith Music Festival in December last year, as Floodlights provided arguably the set of the weekend in front of a packed-out ‘Sup.

There were mosh pits, there were passionate fans reciting lyrics and there was even a world-first, as Kehoe pulled off the remarkable feat of crowdsurfing whilst blasting the harmonica. Well, I can’t confirm it was a world first, but it might as well have been given the awe I was in when I saw it.

Conversely, Wednesday’s crowd featured vacant space at the barricade, minimal bobbing of heads and advertisements for the new gin occupying much of the surrounds of the stage.

But sweat continued to drip off Parsons, with his noisy vocals causing veins to extrude from his neck, reminding onlookers that, corporate show or not, half-arsed is not in Floodlights’ vocabulary.

Floodlights
Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

The dire parking situation on St Kilda’s Esplanade made for a late and, thus, stressful arrival to the Espy but with a slider in my belly and a free G&T in my hand, all I needed was some giddy tunes from the supporting act to pick me up.

Thankfully, Back Pocket had my back.

Sophie Dickinson and Anna Stewart share the duties on vocals, with light-hearted lyrics at the forefront of their guitar-filled sound.

PTV Boyfriend – a track about connecting with a potential lover on a Melbourne tram, before learning that they are a ticket inspector about to hand them a fine – encapsulates the humour in the band’s personality and lyrics.

That fun translates to the live show, with no shortage of crowd work and laughs shared between the band.

Before I know it, I have forgotten about my $6.50/hour parking fee that is ticking up. Cheers, Back Pocket.

Back Pocket
Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music

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