The Goodgod Small Club is a funky little cavern hidden in a nook of Liverpool St, Sydney, and it was the perfect place for the Buchanan gig last Saturday night.
To get to the Danceteria room at the back where the bands play, first you’ve got to thread your way through the low-lit canteen. Small booths are crammed full of trendy circles of mates, downing cocktails while they wait for hot chips smothered in dips, juicy mustard-drowned hot dogs and other American diner-style munchies.
Out the back in the Danceteria, there was so much smoke billowing through the murky blue and red lights that you could barely see a metre in front of you. The night began with a set from local psychedelic rock band Cull. Avalanches of reverb and spacey effects made for a head-bending performance from this young, self-proclaimed ‘rock team’. Their current single ‘Good People Disappear’ is a stand out track, its Tame Impala-esque dreamy sounds making it a crowd favourite.
Next up were Louis London, who delivered a set of more classic Britpop rock songs with lots of hooky, melancholic melodies. Lead singer Ed Saloman has a gorgeous soulful voice, which, partnered with bassist and backup singer Karl Fernandes, made for some truly divine harmonies.
By the time Buchanan hit the stage, the crowd had expanded to fill most of the smoky space, and anticipation was high. The very accomplished young band rocked the venue with a tight and passionate set. Clearly these boys love what they do, love their fans for supporting them, and put their heart and soul into live performances.
Interestingly, given the line-up, Buchanan were the least effects-heavy band playing on the night. Though their recorded singles and debut album Human Spring are highly polished, with beautiful studio effects and lots of instrumental layers, live on stage they had a more stripped back, classic rock sound. Some songs were backed by truly colossal drum lines, which were sublime alongside Josh Simons’ haunting vocals. It’s possible this drum-dominance was a symptom of the small venue struggling to balance sound elements (as is often the case) but it certainly made for some infectious sounding songs, which trashed any pre-conceptions one may have had about Buchanan’s sound.
The band treated the crowd to ‘Mr Keeperman’ halfway through the set, an excellent song the boys are rightly proud of, being the first which was aired on Triple J unearthed radio. Since that time, they’ve been given five-star ratings by Triple J’s Richard ‘the King’ Kingsmill, supported the likes of Kimbra, and played the highly acclaimed Melbourne Laneway Festival, to name a few achievements. You wouldn’t realise all this watching them onstage though: Buchanan chill like a bunch of dudes who just jam together a lot in their spare time – there’s not much of a rock star air about them.
Unsurprisingly, we had to wait right to the end to hear the two hyper-hits, ‘Run Faster’ and ‘Human Spring’ (check out the awesome music videos online if you haven’t seen them – ‘Human Spring’ in particular is a scream) – not that anyone would have left early anyway. The set ended with screams and applause from the excited and tipsy crowd.
Buchanan’s music has been described as ‘24 carat ear-gold’ in the past, and this reviewer is happy to jump on board with that description. Saturday’s gig may have been a small affair, but it rocked the walls of the Goodgod Small Club. This young Melbourne band are a shining talent definitely worth keeping an eye and an ear out for.
Buchanan
Goodgod Small Club, Sydney
13 July
