Indie sweethearts Ball Park Music wowed the Gold Coast venue Miami Marketta on Sunday night as part of their fun-filled national Good Good Mood Tour, supported by emerging Aussie artists Butternut Sweetheart and Tia Gostelow.
The intimate performance of one-man band opening act Butternut Sweetheart (Luke Moseley) was an alluring display. Moseley’s delicate handling of musical elements – drums, distorted vocals, keyboard, and programming – was with ease and serenity. I read that Moseley vaguely describes the particular sound of his music as ‘underwater indie’, but during his performance, the musical textures were more pearlescent than anything else, shimmering as the sun set on Miami Marketta. ‘Bury Me’, Butternut Sweetheart’s latest single, transported the audience into the world of music that Moseley lives in, and I didn’t want to leave it.
After Butternut Sweetheart’s hypnotic set, Tia Gostelow was up next. With her band decked out in white clothing reminiscent of noughties band The Hampdens, Tia’s voice oozed with soul and wisdom. Singles ‘State of Art’ and ‘Phone Me’, from the 2018 album Thick Skin got the crowd swaying to her brand of jangly guitar pop. Highlight of her set was ‘Strangers’ a charming duet with bassist Marcus Polo. Tia closed with her incredible pared down cover of Empire on the Sun’s “We Are the People”, which she recently performed with critical acclaim on Triple J’s Like a Version. Her downtempo rendition at Miami Marketta was so mournful and soulful compared to its electronic original version.
Tia Gostelow is an underrated artist and a captivating performer. It was such a treat to see her live. She looks right at home up on the stage, amongst the music. After hearing the news of her recently being awarded the Australia Council Sound Recording grant for her next album, I am very excited to hear what’s next for her.
Miami Marketta is a perfect venue for a band like Ball Park Music. The ceiling, adorned with the glimmer of fairy lights, gives off comfy vibes. By night it turns into a food marketplace and arts hub, facilitating a local creative community for the Gold Coast. As Ball Park Music took to the stage I was overcome by the sheer warmth of the crowd: there were families there, large groups of friends, and people who were facetiming each other in between each song to tell their loved ones how happy they were to be there. Ball Park played the usual suspects, including the groovy riff-laden ‘Tripping the Light Fantastic’ (if anyone had any doubt, their mojo is certainly back!). I loved hearing everyone shout along to the life-affirming choruses of ‘iFly’, ‘The Perfect Life Does Not Exist’, and ‘It’s Nice to Be Alive’, while Ball Park continued with ‘She Only Loves Me When I’m There’ ‘Sad Rude Future Dude’ ‘and ‘The End Times’. This was a show with no filler material whatsoever.
Personal highlights of the night were the energetic hits ‘Hands Off My Body’ and ‘Fence Sitter’, where frontman Sam Cromack let loose upon the audience, screaming and dancing through the madness of the red laser lighting. The electric keyboard virtuosity from Paul Furness brought upon a wave of headbanging from the crowd, jamming each song away. I left Miami Marketta that night in the Good Good Mood that the title of the tour promised, and I assure that you will too.
Catch Ball Park Music, Tia Gostelow, and Butternut Sweetheart on their massive regional tour: Click here for tickets and check out the dates below
