Live Review: Cub Sport w/ Clea & Max Chillen and the Kerbside Collective @ The Foundry

The Brisbane music business is booming and it was none more evident than when local cuties Cub Sport took to The Foundry stage for the first sold-out show on their sold-out ‘This Is Our Vice’ album tour. They also brought along madcap group Max Chillen & the Kerbside Collective and enchantress Clea to share the golden spotlight.

Openers Max Chillen and the Kerbside Collective crowded the stage and surprised a growing crowd with a combination of dirty pop and acute psychedelia. Led by singer Darcy Rhodes, who is somewhere between Nick Cave and a can of tinned spaghetti thanks to his dance moves, the band of rabblerousers delivered a warming and enjoyable set.

After a short intermission rising singer-songwriter Clea (pronounced like everybody’s favourite squishy modelling substance) waltzed on stage surrounded by men. After she set herself she unleashing a wave of strong yet delicate tunes onto the swelling crowd. Diving right in with single Polyester, Clea’s addition of live violin created a well-rounded sound that filled The Foundry up like a warm cup of tea. After slaying a cover of The Runaways’ Crimson and Clover, Clea treated the audience to a delightful sing-along to her first single Dire Consequences.

Read out recent interview with Clea HERE

Clea eventually swept off the stage and the time came for Cub Sport to show their adorably sunny faces. The crowd had swelled to Titanic proportions with barely enough room to breathe with it mostly populated with very young, very excited fans that would shriek with delight every time a light moved. After a couple of fake outs Cub Sport appeared and eased the crowd into the set with floaty track Sun.

The set was largely dedicated to the new album ‘This Is Our Vice’ which was to be expected but also celebrated, as it is a fantastic collection of tunes. The band ran through tracks like Stay, I Can’t Save You, and Vice with ease, absolutely delighting the rapturous crowd. Album standout It Kills Me brought in some serious funk to spice up the night, becoming a highlight of the evening.

It was towards the middle of the set that things started to get a little frustrating. It was obvious that Cub Sport had practised within an inch of their lives as both their vocals and instrumentals were flawless. Unfortunately during more delicate tracks like Only Friend and Come On Mess Me Up distracting noises from the crowd drowned them out.

Speaking of distracting, during immersive track Runner a gentleman that was dressed like a 70s drug dealer in red pleather with an “I’m in several Brisbane bands that have been on triple j” look on his face appeared. He confidently strode across the stage, stepped down into the crowd, and began carelessly pushing people out of the way to get to the bar…in the middle of a song…for no apparent reason. I know The Foundry is quite open plan, but to interrupt the band that people paid money to see just so you can get a G&T faster is unacceptable!

Luckily we were returned back to regular programming with Cub Sports’ widely celebrated cover of Kanye West’s Ultralight Beam. Just as flawless as it was on Like A Version, punters started to worship at the feet of lead singer Tim Nelson as his trademark falsetto blended seamlessly with the harmonies with the rest of the band. A rare encore from the band let us have a glimpse at their decidedly sunnier past and they ripped through fan favourite Evie.

Cub Sport have demonstrated how much they have grown as a band with this new album and while their sound is perfect, it’s probably time for their shows to grow too with bigger venues that allow for bigger sounds. Oh, and they might want to be a bit more selective about who they let side of stage from now on too….

Check out our Photo Gallery HERE

Cub Sport ‘This Is Our Vice’ Album Tour 

FRI 26 AUG
Northcote Social Club, Melbourne (Sold Out)
SAT 27  AUG
Newtown Social Club, Sydney (Sold Out)

Get Tickets HERE