Ball Park Music played one of their first paid gigs at the QUT Uni Bar. Their rate for the night was 50 bucks, for the whole band. Except somehow in the mist of what I am sure was a fun but slightly novice set, they did not get paid.
Flash forward 10 years, and that same bunch of Brisbane kids are sitting backstage at the Riverstage barely 100 metres from that uni bar, listening to Ruby Fields and San Cisco amp up an already buzzing crowd. Ruby Fields’ charming wit made you feel like you were catching up with an old friend from school, except you know you had never met her. She won the crowd over easily by smashing out her hits P Plates and I Want, before sealing the deal with a topical quote from the Honey Badger. “I’m sweating more than a gypsy with a mortgage … I watch The Bachelor with my mum alright.”
When San Cisco walked out on stage, the crowd roared so loud you almost forgot they were not the only headlining artist. The Riverstage crowd could not have disagreed more with the hook of the band’s hit song We Spend Too Much Time Together, and could have vibed with the Jordi, Josh, Scarlett, and Jennifer all night long. The guys were a long way from their home in Fremantle, but they sang, danced, and played like they felt right at home on the brown snake. There was no mistaking how perfectly paired this double headline gig was.
By the time Ball Park Music emerged from the fog machine induced haze, it is fair to say, the band and the crowd were in a GOOD MOOD! Lead singer and guitarist Sam Cromack bounced around like he had been waiting all year to get back on QUT’s stage. To his left, Jennifer Boyce was sporting a smile so big you could probably see it from the Story Bridge. All eyes were on Paul Furness’s lightning fast hands as they came down on his keyboard. Meanwhile the band’s unbelievable talented twins were pure bottles of energy. Dean Hanson held nothing back on the guitar, and Daniel Hanson’s wielded his drumsticks with the skill and speed of a ninja with nun chucks.
The set list was not a disappointment, the guys covered all bases with hits like Sad Rude Future Dude (Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs, 2011), She Only Loves Me When I’m There (Puddinghead, 2014), and instant classics like The Perfect Life Does Not Exist (Good Mood, 2018).
A personal favourite was a wildcard from their latest album Good Mood, called Hands Off My Body. If you are ever looking to get hyped up for a run, a dance, a Monday, then pop your headphones in and let the adrenaline wash over you. You are welcome.
There honestly could not have been a better way to kick off the Brisbane Festival for 2018, than these three incredibly talented Aussie music acts.
Readers also enjoyed this story about Brisbane Festival.
