Review: Alpine at OAF

Melbourne band ALPINE returned to Oxford Art Factory on Friday night in support of their new single Hands bringing with them glitter, triangles and of course, their beautiful blend of ethereal, indie pop.

Having just played Falls Festival over the new years period, Alpine returned to a venue they’ve played before, and while I didn’t get to see them at Falls (devastated!), I’m going to say a venue that’s probably more suited to their style of music. They’ve been compared to bands like Phoenix and The xx and their sound is not unlike the experimental, psychedelic tunes of all girl gang Warpaint. As such, the intimate space that is Oxford Art Factory suited this co-ed team well.

The band’s female lead singers, Lou and Phoebe, graced the stage with glittered faces, swapping frequently between lead vocals and harmonies as well as coming together in unison at times. This variety is a strength of their music. The girls were obviously enjoying themselves, dancing in a free-flowing and floating style that was, if not for the inhibitions of most audience members, rather infectious. They even brought out a triangle at one stage, and played it in a similarly dream-like fashion.

‘Too Safe’ from the band’s EP Zurich was an early highlight of the evening, while the recognisable strum of ‘Villages’, another track off the band’s 2011 release, was obviously one of the more recognisable tracks of the set as far as the audience was concerned. Concluding a relatively short set, to be expected given the band’s short history, it was certainly a crowd pleaser and a good note to finish on.

If the band were to be criticised for anything it would be their lack of stage presence. Their performance was polished and measured but they weren’t all encompassing and whatever it was that was missing, meant there was some chatter amongst the audience throughout the evening.

Alpine are still finding their feet and stage presence will more than likely come as they develop their live shows. If the cheer let out by the audience – the loudest of the night – as the band commenced their newest single ‘Hands’ is anything to go by, they’re definitely on their way up and a band to watch in 2012.