Posted by Danni Le Toullec on February 16, 2011
Off the back of their debut self-funded album, Gorilla Manor, Local Natives pulled a surprisingly large crowd at Sydney’s Metro Theatre last Thursday night. But the five-piece, who hail from Los Angeles, did not disappoint. Well known for their soaring harmonies, Local Natives have been (favourably) compared to bands like Fleet Foxes, a likeness that was particularly clear with the band's performance of 'Shapeshifter'.
In between strumming their beautiful Les Paul guitars, Ryan Hahn, Kelcey Ayer and Taylor Rice swapped instruments and took turns in leading the vocals. As a band that collaborates on everything (even their artwork), the changes served to enrich their performance even further rather than confusing their sound.
Stand out tracks ‘Wide Eyes’, ‘Airplanes’ and ‘Who Knows, Who Cares’ went down a treat with the crowd along with the heartfelt love song ‘Cubism Dream’ about a girl leaving LA to run off to Australia. A detail - the Sydney crowd were assured - which did not affect the band's love for the city.
They closed with ‘Sun Hands’, which featured an epic 3-person drum solo and built into a crescendo mid-song. Local Natives wrapped up the last of the St Jerome’s Laneway Festival appearances on the 12th February in Perth before heading back to the States for a string of shows.
Adelaide band Leader Cheetah did an amazing job of warming up the crowd in their supporting slot. From the opening vocals of ‘Bloodlines’, the South Australians drew in the already packed crowd and proved they are a band to watch for 2011.
local natives, metro theatre, leader cheetah, laneway festival