By Orlaith Grehan.
“You guys have been cheeky today. You told us Buckfast is a good thing!” cries Cloud Control’s keyboardist Heidi Lenffer halfway through the bands buoyant set. Guitarist and lead vocalist Alister Wright quickly butts in, “we always have Jameson on our riders all over the world. It’s the best – thank you guys!”. Some pretty intensive PR lessons must have been had before these Australians set off for our shores: surely there’s no better way to ingratiate yourself with an Irish audience than by heaping appraisal on the nations hardline drinking culture and preference for semi-toxic (albeit monk-endorsed) fortified wine.
It’s not that any flattery is needed to win over the small but fervent crowd that has gathered in the Academy 2. Judging by their enthusiasm – and the fact that most of them know all the words to songs that have yet to even be released here (putting those of us that don’t to guilt-ridden shame) – Cloud Control have no need to worry. They’re one of those bands that, for the sometime-cynic like myself, are annoyingly hard not to like: with sun-drenched, dreamy harmonies and tales of endearing awkwardness to look forward to, they manage to put smiles on peoples faces even just by turning up. No uphill battles for this band ahead then…
Saying that, it does take a few minutes for the gig to really kick off. Walking onstage – instead of the slow-motion running with surfboards that too much daytime Australian TV has sadly taught me to expect – the band launch straight into Meditation Song #2, a catchy little number with more than a touch of 60s psychedelia about it. It gets a warm enough reception, but it takes another few songs before the band themselves settle into their sound and the crowd can really get behind them. Even the undeniably upbeat This Is What I Said doesn’t set the place alight like it should. It’s as if both the band and those watching them need a bit of time to get used to each other – basically like an awkward first date, only involving a larger number of people and some more vocal exercising than usual.
After a few more lo-fi, mellow tracks like Old Man And The River and Into The Line, the night livens up as the band roll out hits like Gold Canary and Deathcloud. They’re the kind of jaunty, lively tunes that cry out for being sung along to (if only I knew the words!) which Cloud Control do best and which finally get both the band and the crowd going. There’s Nothing In The Water We Can’t Fight steals the show, with some impressive “synchronised bopping”, as my very cool friend puts it, taking place both on stage and off. The songs take on a more dynamic, energetic feel when they’re played live, with the bands darker shoegaze influences really coming through – it’s refreshing to hear a different side to what could otherwise become sickeningly upbeat. The charm of Heidi and Alister’s harmonies are balanced out by the rawness of the fuzzy guitars and organ, making for a really interesting sound.
Clocking in at just under an hour, it’s a short and sweet gig. Yeah, it took a while to get exciting, but once it did, the band didn’t let go and things only got better. It’s their first headline show in Dublin, and given how happy the band are being here and how happy we are to have them, there’s no doubt they’ll be back soon. Next time, they’re sure to be in a bigger venue with more than a handful of people – and I might even know the words by then.
