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BAND: Milky Chance + Amy Shark VENUE: Enmore Theatre DATE: 3rd May, 2017 When the support act for the night is Australia's sweetheart who can sell out her own national tour, you know you're in for a good night - and as lovable Amy Shark bops and sways onstage it's easy to see why she's rocketed from seemingly nowhere into a bonafide music powerhouse. Playing favourites including new single 'Weekends', she also fits in a stripped back version of Eminem’s ‘Superman’ to the delight of the sold out crowd. Her quieter songs don’t hold the crowd as much though, with deafening chatter drowning out a soft tune she wrote as a teen – but sure enough her smash hit ‘Adore’ gets the crowd eating out of her hand before throwing to the main event, promising a killer upcoming set from German groovers Milky Chance.
The stage is reset with a village of percussion on display, and suddenly front-man Clemens Rehbein erupts onstage with fellow guitarist Antonio Greger in tow to unleash their infectious German-folk-rock hybrid on the room. The two are accompanied by a drummer and also resident percussionist Philipp Dausch who both firmly take this band to new heights – the Enmore is throttled by heaving stomps and unrelenting beats that are essential to the untamed pop that Milky Chance have perfected.
Rehbein’s vocals sound like gravel soaked in whiskey as he rips across classics from 2014’s album 'Sadnecessary' (including ‘Flashed Junk Mind’ and ‘Fairytale’) as well as newer tracks from this year’s ‘Blossom’ like the infectious ‘Ego’ and ‘Cocoon’. And Rehbein’s guitar isn’t just for show – this is a man who can shred the pants off the crowd while skipping happily in circles across the stage.
Percussionist/backup vocalist/occasional bassist Philipp is also a massive highlight, but it’s guitarist Antonio who practically steals the show, busting out some solid guitar licks before throwing down some of the dopest harmonica solos most will ever experience in their lifetime – not only does he tear the roof off the Enmore with his grooves, he makes it look BAD.ASS.
The encore is predictably their massive smash ‘Stolen Dance’ – but as they lead into their final song ('Sweet Sun'), they announce a special guest: none other than Aussie folk/blues legend Kim Churchill, and he comes armed with a harmonica to demolish the crowd with the greatest harmonica duet of all time (video below):
It’s a high-octane note for the band to finish on – but what lingers isn’t just the catchy tunes, it’s how actually taken aback the band are that fans on the other side of the world know all the words to their songs. There’s no pretence or pretension, just a band who are genuinely having as much fun (if not more) than the crowd. As Clemens Rehbein would say: ‘Prost!’
BY TIANA SPETER