After conquering Europe and releasing their self-titled debut album in 2018, Parcels have returned home for a massive sold out Australian tour. The Byron Bay five piece relocated to Berlin where they found a niche in the market with their groovy 70’s and 80s synth wave pop-rock. But over the years they’ve continued to return home where their fanbase is quickly and well deservingly expanding. With the appropriate stylings of nostalgic disco tracks like ABBA’s ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme’ and Womack & Womack’s ‘Teardrops’ hyping the sold out Brisbane crowd that was cramming into The Triffid, the cheers of excitement got louder and louder as their arrival got closer.
With the riff of ‘Comedown’ seeing the boys emerge from the smoke they stood in the middle of the stage dramatically as the music stopped and their silhouettes waited for the beat to come back in. And from then on, they didn’t stop. Gliding straight into ‘Lightenup’ they showcased just how in sync and ready they were to deliver a seamless and slick show. “Good evening Brisbane! It’s very good to be back in Australia” lead vocalist Louie Swain exclaimed the the pumped crowd. With the perfect glittery backdrop complimenting their nostalgic vibe, you were instantly transported back to an early 80’s disco. Their acid trip lighting oozed from dark moody colours to vibrant epileptic attacks which added to the aesthetic journey. ‘Hideout’, ‘Gamesofluck’ and ‘Withorwithout’ were early favourites that had the crowd singing along. Stripping it back for ‘Bemyself’, drummer Anatole Serret came to the front of the stage to join the guys in the smooth almost boyband moment before returning to the drums for the Paul McCartney cover of ‘Every Night’.
Their setlist was perfectly timed to give a good rollercoaster of emotions and BPMS that had you grooving, swaying, reflecting and singing. ‘Older’ saw some of the long term fans hopping on each others shoulders before ‘Tieduprightnow’ and ‘Overnight’ turned the volume and heat up a little. Exclaiming how happy they were to be back home just so people could finally understand what they were saying, they thanked the crowd for letting them kick off the Australian leg of the tour in Brisbane. Wrapping up their seamless show with ‘IknowhowIfeel’ they rolled on with the reflective vibes.
It was one of those shows that perfectly embodied everything I love about music. No matter how much of their material you actually knew before going into that venue, you found yourself fully immersed and lost in their musical world. It was groovy, emotional and fun and was a very intimate setting for a band who are quick becoming one of Australia’s biggest exports.
Check out the full gallery captured by Zac Montgomery Photography HERE;
Photos by Zac Montgomery