I have been to the Indi Bar in Scarborough plenty of times for gigs over the years, but I have never seen it this busy with people filling every area of the venue on the cool Perth night. We were in for a treat as The Vanns had invited Ghost Care and The Colliflowers to join them on the bill to play over two nights. The merch desk was well stocked for the gig with members of the bands warmly greeting their fans before the sets started, happily chatting to everyone who had come out to see them like they were welcoming back old friends.
Ghost Care set the tone for the evening, with smooth and boppy tracks ringing out from the Indi Bar stage. The soft-rock trio were effortlessly flowing from one song to another with their up-tempo beats and guitar solos connecting fluidly with the warm vocals. Watching Ghost Care play felt like driving along the coast on a warm summer’s day with the window down, they were a breath of fresh air. They turned up the dial with their riffs becoming rockier and heavier, with songs like Only Friend, Partying and Canadian Dream through to their cover of Lady (Hear Me Tonight) by Modjo that included some wicked bendy guitar licks and driving riffs.
Fast paced drum licks kept up with the speed intensity as it increased with the energy of a thousand disco dancers, keeping the crowd moving the entire time throughout their set. You could tell Ghost Care are tight knit and close, they have a great energy between them. They formed in 2019, but the way they play together, you would think they have been playing for much longer than that. Ghost Care expressed their gratitude for the audience coming down early to see their set that they ended with their unreleased song, Don’t I Know You, with vocal duets layered over boppy melodies to bring this song to life.
If you like Spacey Jane, Ball Park Music or Boy & Bear then you will enjoy the soft rock trio, Ghost Care.
GALLERY
Everyone was vying for a spot in the crowd when The Colliflowers took to the stage, a four-piece indie rock band hailing from the Byron Bay hinterlands in NSW. With their electric bendy guitar licks and emotionally charged lyrics, watching The Colliflowers play was like witnessing a delightful musical orgy of layered sounds that just worked so damn well. The guitarists played off of each other’s energy as the band vibed together like a tight knit unit, delivering an awesome sound that ripped you off your feet and threw you into the air.
The Colliflowers delivered an energetic bouncing dance party on stage. They had so much energy and a fantastic stage presence, you could see that they were relishing playing together on stage and enjoying the energy from the spirited crowd too. Everyone got down low and jumped up to bounce to the beat! Their bouncy elastic riffs and catchy lyrics were followed with clap alongs and sing alongs from the crowd, with wild shredding guitar solos to end the set out on a high. You know it’s a great set when everyone is calling for an encore!
If your listening tastes include The Vanns, DICE, or Rum Jungle, then you will really dig The Colliflowers.
Setlist: Feel, Let Me Go, Hey, Temper, Devils Child, Doesn’t Mean You, Nighttime Whisper, Eazy
GALLERY
Ghost Care and The Colliflowers really laid the foundation well for what would be an awesome set by The Vanns. This is the Vanns second time back at the Indi Bar, they have been wanting to come back for a while and Perth has been waiting for their presence on our sandy beaches again too. The intermission between The Colliflowers finishing their set and The Vanns coming on stage to start theirs saw the crowd become so condensed with bodies vying for a good spot that you were barely able to move – not that anybody wanted to! Everyone was choosing their perfect spot to watch The Vanns play and planting their feet firmly. The spirited crowd were spilling out onto the patio area of the Indi Bar as The Vanns walked on stage, the first bars singing out from their guitars. The Vanns filled the stage with their physical presence and a musical presence that felt so much larger than just four people to hear live.
The band ripped the anticipation band aid off the crowd with Ever as their opening song, which saw an enormous energy in the crowd moving as one, swaying along as they sang the lyrics straight back to the band on stage. The crowd came to see a wicked set and The Vanns delivered with bending riffs and melodic vocals, the crowd couldn’t get enough and ate up every bite of the delicious musical dish that the Vanns were serving. Singing along to searching for a better life with arms waving in the air, there was no room to move in this packed, standing room only, sold out gig, and it was easy to see why.
The arms continued to wave as the band lead the crowd into Feels Good Now, with the bendy licks and guitar solos that the Vanns are known for in their songs driving the crowd to a frenzy. The Vanns loved every second of it, commenting on the crowds’ energy saying this is why they kept coming back to WA. They followed Feels Good Now with Thinkin Bout The Night, one of their more popular and well known tracks from their last record. This is a song you might have playing as you go for a drive down the coast, a feel good banger of indie rock meets surf rock vibes. Settle Me Down was the next track to be played, with heavier riffs and crazy guitar licks, it was as though The Vanns were making love to their instruments on stage and our ears were hearing a sweet musical orgy of sounds. This was followed by a slower softer downturn that was still like smooth velvet as the tones of Julia Said played out to the crowd, with the tight knit band feeding off each others’ energy. They covered a Lime Cordial song, a band they have played with previously and are good friends with, much to the crowd’s fevered delight and applause.
The rest of the set continued with the band hitting every note exactly on the beat and delivering a musical treat. The Vann were complimentary of the crowd, that they were all beautiful as the crowd sung every word to all of the songs, almost like a karaoke superpit singalong with huge amounts of applause sandwiched in between each song. More guitar solo saw an even more frenzied crowd, as the singer jumped down from the stage and made his way through the audience, encouraging everyone to get down low and then to jump up altogether on the beat. I have never seen a crowd respond this voraciously to a band before where they just couldn’t get enough of them. The music really speaks for itself, and this review cannot do justice to just how awesome The Vanns set was, it was a phenomenal and energetic performance the whole night, even if they almost hit their heads on the low roof onstage! They finished their set and encouraged the crowd to come say hi and have a beer. The crowd were demanding an encore, which didn’t happen, but that didn’t stop the crowd from holding out hope for a good 20 minutes in eager anticipation!
If Lime Cordial, Spacey Jane, Pacific Avenue or The Grogans are your jam, then you will dig The Vanns.
Setlist: Ever, Mother, Feels Food Now, Thinkin Bout The Nights, Settle Me Down, Jules Said, Hey Driver, Last Of Your Kind, Chelsea, Keep My Cool, Hey Ma, Fake Friends
GALLERY
With thanks to The Rockpit and Beehive PR for arranging media access. The Vanns continue their tour around Australia, playing a range of regional shows along the way – TIX HERE
