REVIEW: Tin Can Radio at Hi-Fi 23 July 2010

Words by Scenewave Oz - Published on August 2, 2010

Friday night is a great time to see live music, and The Hi-Fi did not disappoint with Tin Can Radio’s ‘From Moments to Memories’ Single Launch.

Expect the unexpected is all I was told as I embarked upon my maiden voyage through the sonic sounds of Brisbane’s most exciting hippies. From behind the curtain, the five-piece, comprising of Pig, Cat, Frog, Panda and The Fruit* (*sourced from MySpace, and in reference to particular hats), walked cryptically into my imagination with the aid of morphsuit-clad minions (sporting the aforementioned hats) and a menagerie of lights, colours and projected visuals.

The pandamonium refused to wither with each song undergoing several pigeonhole-obliterating metamorphoses before dissipating as sound waves do. Impulsiveness seems to be a central ethos of the band. In fact, at one point lead singer Tom, paid tribute to his parents in the crowd before dutifully explaining that the next track is about “getting hard on a school bus”. Out flowed the crowd favourite ‘Chubby’, the niceties were over, and the party continued.

I should probably admit that my ears are usually more at home amidst mechanical compositions, like that of The Strokes or even Grizzly Bear, whilst spontaneously driven music, aka the Mars Volta, is often lost on me. However, what I can appreciate is that music is an art, and with that comes a performance. Tin Can Radio’s dizzying blend of indie, electro, hip-hop and psychadelic works on the back of a mystical connectivity and collective intuitiveness within the band. It really seemed like, that at any given moment, Tom could drop his guitar for a trumpet, Rob could walk away from the keys to pick up a sax, Simon could take his hands off his guitar to play the keys, whilst Al and Jack adjusted the drums and bass. Suddenly, what started out as an indie ballad erupted into a very danceable frenzy of horns, waves and beats, and these moments really stood out as my highlights of the show.

Definitely a must-see local act this year; just remember to pack comfy shoes.