On the second floor of Melbourne’s historic Curtin House, high above the chaos of Swanston and Lonsdale Streets on a Saturday night, Cub Scouts played to an eccentric and eager crowd.
The audience had been well warmed-up by Melbourne’s Them Swoops, whose surfy, happy, indie-rock sound never fails to delight.
Sadly, Sydney-sider Phebe Starr dropped the plate. Her generic, soundscape filled electro pop left the audience with a feeling of indifference, it was hard to tell whether they were even aware of her presence on stage.
People sat at tables scattered across the room and seemed more interested in their own conversation than the moaning musical mess that was Starr. Her set didn’t even cut it as background music, hitting the ears like the annoying buzz of a mosquito circling your head after you’ve hit the lights.Luckily, Cub Scouts were coming up, motivation to stop everyone from retiring and heading home early.
Cub Scouts took to the stage after the crowd awkwardly dismissed Starr, this final show wrapping up their national Told You So EP launch. Diving straight into ‘Don’t Care’ and ‘Hands’, the Brisbane delights took off where Them Swoops left off, recollecting the audience’s attention that had been so lost with Starr.
The summery beach tunes were quick to take the crowd by the hand and lead them to the dance floor like flies drawn to the light of a bug zapper. Tim and Sam’s gentle voices complemented each other in perfect harmony, while Zoe rounded them off with her sweet tone and amazing pitch.The combination of eerie keyboard melodies, simple but rolling bass lines, and drum beats as chiselled as Jason Statham’s jaw, gave The Toff the perfect psychedelic ambience, matching the long shadows drawn, like ghosts, by dimmed wall lamps and warm, aquatic coloured LED’s from the stage.
One listen to the new EP makes it clear that Cub Scouts are a perfect sample Australia’s indie-rock scene, with greater success just a matter of time. They have emerged just at the right time, as indie-rock and all forms of blues and psychedelic rock have taken the charts and, more importantly the listeners, by storm. ‘Told You So’ already reaching number 29 on CMJ’s top 200. This is definitely a band to keep your eyes and ears on.
