San Cisco have been riding the wave of popularity since the drop of their main single “Awkward” off of their second EP and tonight’s sold out show is further proof of their popularity. Despite having just two releases under their belt, they’ve scored spots on the Perth Big Day Out, this year’s Groovin’ the Moo festival and, more recently, the famed Splendour in the Grass lineup; but with increasingly mixed opinions on this indie pop quartet, were the night’s crowd witnessing the next massive thing or next year’s D-list?
The night started out a little earlier than expected with local openers Gold Bloom. It was clear that these girls had raw talent and ingenuity, through their perfectly analysed (and executed, mind you) vocal harmonies, guitar layering that wouldn’t seem out of place in an acclaimed post-rock or grunge band and flawless drumming. Expect to see these guys in the headlines of local music press soon enough, because that’s where they seem to be heading.
Up next were Voltaire Twins, a quartet who seemed to fill their hands with the latest synth and sampling gear they could find in order to get the crowd dancing. Their sure-fire combination of The Naked And Famous style and MGMT-isms was met with crowd acclaim, and despite their original songs sharing many similarities, the audience didn’t really seem to care and had a wild time anyway.
Despite San Cisco being in Adelaide already only a few months ago, the ever-hungry crowd waited with baited breath for the indie popsters to stroll out onto the stage as if they hadn’t made an appearance for years, they were met with many high-pitched squeals before opening with one of fan favourite, “Golden Revolver”. This feel-good song undoubtedly got the crowd moving and set the tone for the next forty five minutes.
After showcasing a few very promising new pieces, they moved onto their famed cover of Arctic Monkeys’ “505”. It’s worth noting that almost all of the music on the venue’s overheard playlist earlier was the Arctic Monkeys, so the feedback that the cover got was both immense and positive.
After San Cisco belted out around thirteen songs, with both “Rocket Ship” and “Awkward” not yet played, the crowd knew what was going to happen next. After a thank you and a short explanation, drummer Scarlett Stevens started playing the lively beat of “Rocket Ship”. With the crowd completely warmed up and full of anticipation for their biggest song to date, San Cisco swiftly ended “Rocket Ship” and moved right into “Awkward”, which was, as predicted, met with huge roars.
After the loud, danceable and overall superb set that San Cisco succeeded in putting on, it’s safe to say that these four young adults will have a pretty stable place in the future of Australian indie music.
– Tom Gaffney
