Josh Pyke, Thelma Plum @ The Melbourne Zoo Twilight Series, Melbourne (28/02/2014)
Finding a square foot of grass in the sea of picnic rugs and bodies was the first hurdle of the night at the Melbourne Zoo Twilight series on Friday 28th February. Second if you count finding a park, and third if you consider the queue to get in. The next was getting a drink – or in our case, a bottle of wine. Our genius was in finding a patch of grass next to the bar.
The bodies piled into the Zoo on this balmy late-Summer evening included children and couples and a generous handful of the hipster bearded sorts likely to be found at any Corner gig. The temperature was perfect and the sky blue. Just the night to enjoy some live music in the company of magnificent wild beasts!
Any sound issues present during Thelma Plum's set were gone in time for the headliner, and from our cosy posi toward the back of the enormous blanketed patch of grass, lush acoustic finger-pickings and lilting vocals reached us clearly.
Josh Pyke never disappoints his loyal fanbase with his catchy guitar pop and easy on-stage presence. The magical twilight performance was no expection.
Pyke was generous with his playing time, running over time and making easy chat between songs. His sprawling audience covered every spare inch of grass in the entire zoo, picnicking, comfortably laying, lovers entwined, children snoozing, myself gingerly sipping on my wine while practically horizontal (no small feat, to be sure!).
Aside from a handful of F-bombs in Plum's set, this was a very family friendly show. Pyke's mellow alternative-singer/songwritter-folk sometimes veers toward easy-listening territory, but with poignant stories to tell and comfortably familiar melodic hooks, it's never dull.
Middle Of The Hill is always a crowd favourite, as is the bittersweet Sew My Name, which was signalled by the field of swaying, flickering Zippo flames.
The Zoo Twilight series is an utterly perfect way to spend every weekend of Summer.
Rebecca McCann
The bodies piled into the Zoo on this balmy late-Summer evening included children and couples and a generous handful of the hipster bearded sorts likely to be found at any Corner gig. The temperature was perfect and the sky blue. Just the night to enjoy some live music in the company of magnificent wild beasts!
Any sound issues present during Thelma Plum's set were gone in time for the headliner, and from our cosy posi toward the back of the enormous blanketed patch of grass, lush acoustic finger-pickings and lilting vocals reached us clearly.
Josh Pyke never disappoints his loyal fanbase with his catchy guitar pop and easy on-stage presence. The magical twilight performance was no expection.
Pyke was generous with his playing time, running over time and making easy chat between songs. His sprawling audience covered every spare inch of grass in the entire zoo, picnicking, comfortably laying, lovers entwined, children snoozing, myself gingerly sipping on my wine while practically horizontal (no small feat, to be sure!).
Aside from a handful of F-bombs in Plum's set, this was a very family friendly show. Pyke's mellow alternative-singer/songwritter-folk sometimes veers toward easy-listening territory, but with poignant stories to tell and comfortably familiar melodic hooks, it's never dull.
Middle Of The Hill is always a crowd favourite, as is the bittersweet Sew My Name, which was signalled by the field of swaying, flickering Zippo flames.
The Zoo Twilight series is an utterly perfect way to spend every weekend of Summer.
Rebecca McCann