Peach Fuzz | The Curtin Hotel
It was the evening of Friday October 11th, the sun had been shining all day, and as it set over the city skyline, The Curtin Hotel was teeming with bodies and laughter. The cosy, two story pub, found in Lygon Street fosters an intimate setting for travelers far and wide to have a good feed and listen to some tunes. The bandroom’s found behind a red door and up two flights of stairs, leading you to a smaller space plastered with stickers and band posters, a small bar tucked away in the corner and of course, the main stage.
As soon as doors opened, music lovers swarmed into the room, snatching up a pint and lingering around the stage. The room quickly erupted with applause as the first opener, Harriet Wraith, floated up to the mic. Following behind her was her band, Cooper Thompson on bass, Ari Danar-Flavell on drums and Alice Ruby on guitar. Harriets arms twisted around her head as she let her soulful, angelic vocals twist and flutter around the room. With her soulful renditions of “Say It When You’re Sober” and “The Hand That Fed Me” captivated the audience, but it was the band that transformed the performance. Her tracks released on streaming are all acoustic, and the band accompanying her infused the songs with a fresh new energy that only exemplified Wraith’s powerful voice.
The room was only getting more and more packed as the next set took the stage. The Noise, an alt rock band from Naarm’s north, quickly charmed the speakers with their crisp, upbeat tracks. Rhythm guitarist and vocalist Iggy Sim prowled the stage with ecstatic vigor. Jerky, bouncy dance moves opposed his sweet, melodic voice, all as Luca Thornton thrashed along on lead guitar. Bassist Chloe Haritopoulos magnified the vocals with her backing harmonies, all while Luca Elliot embellished on the drums. They played their latest release, “What a Shame”, and the energy in the room only soared higher. Effortless chemistry bounced through the chugging melodies, a raw driving force that kept the crowd hooked from start to finish.
From the spot I had secured, pressed up against the edge of the stage, I could only see a sea of heads behind me. As I got tucked even further into the edge of the stage, trying not to spill my beer, a crackling began to trickle out of the speakers. A trumpet began to hoot an old timey newscast intro, followed by a voice over welcoming “The band of all time,” Peach Fuzz to the stage.
Cheers pierced the air as the band rushed to their instruments, launching into their opening track, “Fall Right Back Into You.” Luci Gray’s sweet voice filled the air, sparking smiles and sending the crowd bouncing along to the rhythm. They played a few tracks from a teased, upcoming EP, including “Carpool” and “Run From Me”. The tracks held the quartet's familiar, daydreamy and uplifting melodies, and promise to sound just as great through your headphones.
Lewis Rich, playing the bass, had a charismatic groove to his performance, leaning into his guitar and losing himself in the music. As their song “Push It Away” faded away, James La began to build into an electrifying drum solo, with Ben La urging the audience to clap along. The rhythm throbbed into a fast, steady beat before gradually slowing down, ultimately building up to the intro of “I Don’t Like The Roses.”
The band then left the stage, the stage lights dimming as another voice over established a radio interview with the members, discussing their newest single “Monster In My Room”. The lights flared up again as each member was now dressed in soft linens and white lace, their outfits from the singles music video. The new single is a nostalgic, dreamy pop rock masterpiece that perfectly encapsulates the group's charisma.
Of course the night couldn’t end without an encore, and as the crowd chanted for one more song, Ben picked up his guitar and out came twinkling the etheral riff for “What Do You Want From This”. Passion oozes out of everything this band puts together, and seeing them together on stage together only emphasises this. They share a symbiotic spark, connected through the smiles shared on stage, that oozes into the music they create. With plenty of projects coming up over the next few months, make sure you keep up to date with Peach Fuzz for endlessly playful tunes.
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