REVIEW: CLEAN BANDIT, TRAK LIVE LOUNGE BAR

Sydney based alternative-pop trio Glades has been drip feeding singles over the past year and tonight they’re ready to share some brand new tunes. “So the next one we think this is going to be our next single,” says lead singer Karina Wykes. Apparently they’ve only played it a few times so we’re lucky enough to be some of the first people to hear it. The track titled “Wide Shot’ is another standout electro-pop track that gets the crowd moving. They also share a few older songs including one of their favourites called “Her (Loving You)” which really highlights Wykes’ gorgeous breathy vocal tones. 

Clean Bandit has an impressive seven-piece live band tonight. Luke Patterson is unwell, however remaining original members Grace Chatto (cello, percussion, vocals) and Jack Patterson (bass, keyboards, vocals, piano, violin) are joined by an incredibly talented group of touring members who deliver flawless vocals, violin, guitars and drums. They kick off with “Stronger” and Yasmin Green takes the lead with her powerhouse vocals. The girls do a few fun dance routines throughout some of the songs and make a great connection with their audience. The star of the performance is the string instrumental solos that really make them such a unique and appealing group. The way they combine classical music with electro-pop seems to be a winning formula.

“We actually want to live here, we love it so much!” Chatto reveals. Although despite Patterson being half Australian, it’s their first headline show in the country since they formed in 2008. Fans would probably welcome them with wide arms if it meant they’d tour more often. The original members of the group started out as an instrumental band 10 years ago and have since collaborated with some incredible artists over the years. One song in particular that celebrates music and love is “Symphony” and Kirsten Joy takes the lead on vocals (originally sung by Zara Larsson). While some may speculate that it may not be the same or as good, Joy completely blows us away with her range, after all she was a contestant on The Voice UK. 

The crowd jumps up and down for the quirky upbeat track “Telephone Banking” and they share a couple of brand new songs from their highly anticipated upcoming sophomore album. A song called “Should’ve Known Better” is destined to be another successful chart topping hit. They call for some crowd participation to sing the undeniably catchy chorus that will most likely be stuck in our heads long after tonight. The band tease us that “Real Love” is their last song, however the inevitable encore delivers their latest single “I Miss You” and their biggest song “Rather Be” in which Chatto brings out a bedazzled cello that glitters out across the room like a giant disco-ball to get everyone dancing one last time.

WRITTEN BY: MICHAEL PREBEG