Future Is Now 2, The Gaelic Club

I got a last minute call-up to review the second Future Is Now night just around the corner from my house. Seeing as how two of my favourite bands were on the bill, I was delighted to:MERCY ARMS
SPARKADIA
BRIDEZILLA
THE HOLIDAYS
LOVER
20/04/07
The Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills

Following the success of the previous Future Is Now night, it returned for a welcome sequel and once again attracted a plethora of excited youngsters, as well as a guest-list as long as your arm of industry folk keen to discover the next big thing.

Newcastle trio Lover opened the evening and, while they aren’t offering anything particularly new, their catchy tunes were certainly performed with infectious energy. Similarly, local boys The Holidays played jaunty guitar pop which was hardly ground-breaking, but their set, which grew in quality with each song, was fun to watch, especially for the record company representatives in the room. Retro-sounding tunes played by handsome young lads? Very marketable.

Next up were a band that industry bigwigs were more than a little keen to cast an eye over. Having reviewed alt-folk teenagers Bridezilla a number of times, it has become apparent to me that they rarely fall short of magnificence. Debuting two powerful new songs, their standout performance reasserted my belief that these four girls and one guy are destined for greatness. This is a band whose music is so refreshing and interesting that I could watch them every day of the week, and that is just about the biggest compliment a music reviewer can possibly give.

Since I last saw Sparkadia, they have expanded from a trio to a quartet, with the inclusion of Josephine Ayling on keys and guitar adding depth to their already lush sound. They were certainly a decent choice of warm-up act for tonight’s headliners, with their ambitious, sweeping pop tunes filling the room nicely enough.

On a night of quality music performed by talented young things, Mercy Arms were well placed to bring proceedings to a close with their epic tracks. Despite a few technical problems, their set was typically exciting and full of grandeur. Kirin stalked the stage, throwing his guitar around, while Thom’s vocal soared beautifully over their classically-structured songs to create the most wonderful cacophony in a set which included new material, as well as old favourites like Caroline. The quartet was joined onstage by Bridezilla vocalist Holiday for their final three songs, including the absolutely massive set-closer Firing Line. It was a fittingly impressive end to the second Future Is Now, which is proving itself to be the premium all-ages event in the city.