REVIEW: Montpelier Take a Picture Tour
Words by Scenewave Oz - Published on December 28, 2009
Brisbane four-piece Montpelier recently completed an East Coast tour in support of their latest single, ‘Take a Picture‘. This marked scenewave’s first official involvement with a local band, and we were ecstatic with the success of the tour. After a number of trials and tribulations on the journey up from Melbourne and Sydney, notably an absent drum kit and flight-less keyboard, Montpelier finally arrived back in home-town Brisbane for the penultimate show of their week long tour.
Montpelier
The incredibly talented Stu Larsen and equally sublime Lydia Cole opened the evening with an array of pitch-perfect songs. Both artists combined on their own original tracks, with Stu Larsen’s ‘Music Is My Mistress‘ a personal highlight. Familiar with The Troubadour, Stu Larsen supported Boy and Bear only a month earlier.
Stu Larsen & Lydia Cole
Next up were Brisbane’s own ‘Tin Can Radio’. This was the first time I’d seen or heard of these guys, so my mind was open and expectations unknown. Let me tell you, it was an experience! I mentioned to a friend during their set, ‘A third of this band I absolutely love, the second third I don’t like, and the final third I just don’t get!’. At times, a sound reminiscent of early Incubus was settled upon, only to transform in an instant, shooting off on a tangent of folk sensibilities or electronic ambience accompanied by a somewhat improvised rap. As the set went on however, I found myself tapping my feet and singing along to lyrics I barely knew. The crowd was whipped into a frenzy and by the end the usually seated Troubadour crowd was dancing and singing as one; truely a sight to behold. Perhaps I’ll have to rethink my ratio.
Tin Can Radio
By the time Montpelier were set up on stage, the crowd had crept forward, with those previously sitting (despite Tin Can Radio’s best efforts!) now on their feet, crammed toward the front of The Troubadour’s slender corridor. Dressed in clothing from Brisbane’s own, Subfusco, the guys looked the part. It was evident in an instant that the fans had all been eagerly waiting for the main act and Montpelier duly delivered.
The opening riff was greeted with rapturous appreciation. Stu Larsen joined the band on stage for fan favourite, ‘The Rafters‘, with the majority of the crowd singing along word-for-word. Andrew Stone lead the extended intro on keys, accompanied by John Pickering on drums, building the anticipation and sound to a crescendo before Dave Butler launched into the song. Another highlight was the stirring track, ‘Last Boat‘ lead by Greg Chiapello’s strong vocals. The tour single ‘Take a Picture‘ was well recieved by the audience, many of whom seemed to have already had a sneak peak, as the sing-a-long continued.
An encore was demanded and Montpelier oblidged, with Andrew and Greg switching positions as Keyboardist and Bassist, respectively, for the final song.
It was a fantastic night for music. In particular, Brisbane music. It felt as though Montpelier had arrived. 2009 has been the beginning, and 2010 looks set to be the breakthrough year for the band. As Simon Topper from Rave Magazine wrote, “I’m scribbling their name down as the next ‘must see’ local act” – and you should to.
Here are some pictures from the evening:
Montpelier
Greg Chiapello - Montpelier
Andrew Stone - Montpelier
Greg Chiapello - Montpelier
Dave Butler - Montpelier
Greg Chiapello - Montpelier
John Pickering - Montpelier
Dave Butler - Montpelier
Greg Chiapello - Montpelier
Andrew Stone - Montpelier
Greg Chiapello - Montpelier
Montpelier
John Pickering - Montpelier
Montpelier
Dave Butler - Montpelier
Tin Can Radio
Tin Can Radio
Tin Can Radio
Tin Can Radio
Stu Larsen & Lydia Cole
2 responses to “REVIEW: Montpelier Take a Picture Tour”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Scott Tonges, scenewave.com. scenewave.com said: REVIEW: Montpelier Take a Picture Tour | Scenewave.com http://bit.ly/4sCiHQ […]
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by scenewave: REVIEW: Montpelier Take a Picture Tour | Scenewave.com http://bit.ly/4sCiHQ…