Between You & Me, TOWNS, Young Culture @ Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide 18/5/2024

‘Shit Yeah!’ is the perfect title for Melbourne’s Between You & Me’s new EP which is also this headline national tour is named . For a BY&M show hits you continually that you are forced to say ‘shit yeah!’ Tonight Adelaide gets hit.

Opening are New Yorkers Young Culture who arrive on stage like a multi -coloured bath bomb. Their energy, colour, vibrancy has the crowd engaged for what is this bands debut Australian jaunt.

Each song has a hook within it that has heads bopping while singer Alex covers about twenty kilometres across the stage. Tracks such as ‘Kinda Over It’ have the audience buoyant with the anthemic choruses and wry lyrics.

Adelaide’s TOWNS has the main support slot and the two piece are more tornado that simply energetic. Drummer Dan is a blur of arms and legs which makes Animal from The Muppets seems sedate while guitarist Aston is witty, quirky and a riff machine wearing his Villa top. I see the AV link Aston!

With a back screen replaying kids TV shows like Round The Twist, a drummer performing like he is a rocket about to be launched, it’s hard for anyone to not get involved. There is a crowd here that is definitely for TOWNS, singing word for word, dancing and that’s even before the Good Charlotte cover arrives.

This show is Between You & Me though, the five piece make the most of the tiny stage and bounce immediately into Dakota before the disco beat, hand waving, let’s get wild Supervillian.

Singer Jake Wilson may be small in size however he is enormous, bantering with the crowd, engaging sing backs and leaping around, all while creating a feel good vibe for all.

In The Middle, and Yeah maybe the new tracks however they are greeted the same as Overthinking is – cheers, love hearts, and sung with passion.

Bassist James Karagiozis, mullet and all, looks the stereotypical Aussies 80’s rock star, even managing to fall over and bounce back like nothing happened.

The notch is turned up for a cover of All Star and then Go To Hell and with both songs Wilson need to not do anything as people are lifted onto shoulders and a mini fun time pit appears.

Kill My Vibe has Adam from Young Culture help with vocals in what is a fitting tribute to how the show went. Inclusive, colourful, exhilarating and as catchy as hell.

Live Review By Iain McCallum