Pacific Avenue, Rum Jungle, Go-Jo @ Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide 29/7/2023
It was all happening in Adelaide on Saturday night with a massive crowd at Adelaide Oval for the Show Down but that didn’t stop Pacific Avenue fans from grabbing their dancing shoes and heading down to Lion Arts Factory to celebrate the release of their debut album Flowers. The show was sold out and with what we experienced the Pacific Avenue juggernaut has just about ready to take off and reach full flight.
It was great to hear music from a couple of different bands who opened proceedings. Go-Jo are an exciting prospect with a unique brand of guitar driven pop. Singles Mrs Hollywood and Missing You are absolute bangers. All I can say is watch this space. Rum Jungle upped the ante and were hell bent on making the most of their Saturday night. A clever mix of surf rock and alt-pop they got the crowd going which happened to be their second visit to Adelaide. They have some very catchy and infectious tunes in their armoury with the likes of Back Home, Going Out Of My Way and Everything Is Easy impressing.
The crowd were lively and energetic singing their hearts out to the songs played in the break between bands. The energy in the room was electric and even when the guys from Pacific Avenue were setting up their gear the crowd were quite excitable. When the band did take the stage it was like a heroes like welcome as they opened with Spin Me Like Your Records. There is so much to like and be impressed by with Pacific Avenue. They look and sound great and their debut album Flowers is an absolute gem.
Excuse Me, City Lights and Strawberry Daydream were great moments and Someday Soon was a poignant song in their set with front man Harry O’Brien encouraging the crowd to tell whoever they are there with that you love them. There’s no doubt they wear their influences on their sleeve which isn’t a bad thing when you consider the calibre of their songs, so good. Harry on piano playing Wake Me Up was absolute gold. More album tunes in Lay Me Down and Give It Up For Yourself followed and the crowd went nuts for Modern Lovers. The Like A Version cover with ABBA’s Dancing Queen had a similar response from this enthusiastic crowd.
The main set finished on Easy Love and Leaving For London and as the band left the stage the crowd chanted for one more song. They ended up with two more bringing the show to an end on Someone’s Asking and Something Good. Great show and remember the name Pacific Avenue as we will be hearing a lot more from this band.
Live Review By Rob Lyon