Live Review: Gabriella Cohen, Full Flower Moon Band, Tamara & The Dreams

As the goodbye party for tonight’s headliners kicks off, Tamara & The Dreams welcome the evening with some chilled out indie vibes. However, the Melbourne band are unfortunately plagued by some distractingly noticeable issues. Between an out-of-tune guitar, missed beats, and bum notes throughout the set, the band tiptoe on the fence between laidback and unprofessional. Be that as it may, Tamara & The Dreams showcase an undeniable prowess for songwriting and clever lyricism, while a set highlight comes from a cover of Tame Impala’s ‘Cause I’m A Man.

The right-hand woman to the night’s main attraction, Kate Dillon, takes to the stage early to front her semi-solo project, Full Flower Moon Band. Dillon wastes no time carving out her own notch in the stage, as she thrashes out an astounding mix of distorted rock and DIY prog. Immediately, all eyes are on the one known affectionately as ‘Babyshakes’, and the audience can’t get enough. Like a lovechild of Tommy Iommi and St Vincent, Full Flower Moon Band are ready to leave any venue in Melbourne in pieces.

A swirling smog of excitement and sombreness battles its way through the crowd as Gabriella Cohen and co make their way to the stage. It may be the final time that this particular line-up back the singer, but what’s immediately clear is that this group do not plan on going quietly.

The twanging intro to I Don’t Feel So Alive sets a fire beneath the punters feet, the relatively slow jam immediately inciting a boogie throughout the room. From there the energy only climbs higher, as the farewell sadness melts away to leave a beaming glow of revelry from band and crowd alike. A chameleon of genre and musicality, Cohen jumps straight into the groove-heavy Music Machine, meeting somewhere in the middle between Dusty Springfield and Beach House. It’s a wondrous joy to watch the musician effortlessly blend a multitude of influences.

The highlight of the night comes in the form of the epic Hi Fidelity, the penultimate track on Cohen’s second release. The band stretch out the tune with incredible fills and riffs to over seven minutes of pure musical bliss. With Dillon pulling out a Santana-style synth lick on a milk-crate mounted keyboard, it’s a sudden reminder that this is the most fleetingly unique show of its kind – never to truly be repeated.

It may be goodbye for this incarnation of Cohen and co, but if anything is certain tonight, it’s that all on stage have an explosive future ahead. As the band venture into solo work and side projects, this may be the end of something great, but also the beginning of something even greater.