DANDE AND THE LION – Kelly's On King 28/4/2023

It’s been a while since I stepped inside Kelly’s On King. And let me tell you, the dimly lit lighting in the corridors, both downstairs and upstairs, provided the bustling atmosphere with patrons socialising and dining on a Friday night. Some, if not most, are waiting to see Dande And The Lion at the function room, where the doors opened at roughly around 7:45pm. Which is the main focus of the mostly clear night once I consumed enough water since arrival.

First on the lineup is the fierce Good Bargain, who had plenty of riffs and drumwork within their instrumentation. Their indie rock genre, with some of the funk and modern reggae, has created a variety within their songs. Thus, they appeal to the audience, some who have turned up from the interstate. Hence, the band got most of the audience standing in the pit, which was a confidence boost for them to have a strong performance. At one point, their posture of getting down is a good emphasis on crowd participation. Hence, their cover of “Are You Gonna By My Girl” by Jet got everyone in the Friday night mood, ready to move your bodies and groove the rest of the night away.

Next on the lineup is Miramar, who are the sensational feel and vibe of enjoying your Friday night. Fusing electronica with dreamy pop, they got the entire audience on their feet, bopping and grooving themselves across every song. Besides two synths which coordinated well with one another, along with the electronic drums, the inclusion of the guitar and drum added to the dreamy pop layer and depth. Their song “Smoke Machine” was the highlight of their set as it gave you a feeling that there’s an invisible smoke machine pouring out from somewhere in the room, to give you a feeling that you’re at a rave party. And this is what Miramar conveys.

What grabbed my attention during Miramar’s set is Roisin the singer, who was dancing along to every instrumental portions while her band mates are hard at work. Hence, she stepped into the audience pit twice; on the first time, she sang and made eye contact to some of the audience members at the front. This gave you a feeling that she’s singing directly at you. On the second time, she blended in with the audience, which gave you a feeling that she’s having a lot of fun, both on and off stage.

The headliner, Dande And The Lion, had a very vibrant and friendly stage presence. They got the audience and fans up and grooving for the entire set. They all look like they want to perform. They all look like they love to perform. In fact, they look like they’re having so much fun on stage. Their eclectic indie rock tunes are filled with strong melodies and dreamy synths, which gets you metaphorically hypnotised to the stage. This is particularly evident when the drum fills, occasional jumping, bopping and eye contacts by each of the band members vibe the entire room up. Especially Abbey, who's very talented across every angle and aspect.

Their song choices are very well curated for this particular show, given how this is their last show of their “Children Of The Hour” East Coast Tour. The song itself, which is the main focus of the show, had a nice structure, sound and feel to it. Hence, the inclusions of their own songs like “Higher Places” and “Harder To Breathe” establishes how proud and confident the band are with performing them in front of the audience and also, releasing them on streaming platforms. Also, the inclusion of covers such as “Bounce” by Calvin Harris feat Kelis in their encore had the audience going “wild”. The audience engagement and participation is at an all time high, given how everyone was moving consistently throughout their set.

With their Kelly's On King show the conclusion of their current “Children Of The Hour” tour, Dande And The Lion are shaping up to become one of Australia’s most successful indie rock bands. I’m very keen to see what their future leads them to next!