Nobody knows better how to control chaos than two boys from Wollongong, and it’s safe to say that the newly seasoned band have earned their stripes. The two-man band, Silvia Lane graced the University of Wollongong’s infamous UniBar stage Tuesday night alongside an array of fresh local artists with a transformative, psychedelic performance that refused to be forgotten.
The band customarily consists of guitarist Jack and drummer Charlie. However, a disclaimer provided by Jack revealed that tonight, drummer Jake is briefly making an appearance in Charlie’s absence. Any doubts the audience may have had were swiftly thrown out the window the second Jake’s sticks hit the drums. With only an hour to memorise the entire setlist, Jake and Jack’s musical talents carried the band to what can only be referred to as a cataclysmic trip of controlled chaos. A kaleidoscope of lights and drum beats so piercing, you can feel it in your chest, were just the tip of the iceberg for this underground band duo. They have perfected the art of looking cool without trying too hard. Adorning a simple tee and jeans, Silvia Lane’s appearances resonate with early stages of most renowned indie-rock bands, such as 2006-esque The Strokes and The Kooks. If history repeats itself, which we know it tends to do,we’ll see Silvia Lane amongst large crowds within sold-out venues.
Commencing their gig with ‘Rush’, Silvia Lane sets the tone of the exhilarating, and sometimes overwhelming, enthusiasm of youth which echoes throughout their discography of hit covers and original music. There are moments that feel indebted to bands such as Bad//Dreams,Inhaler and Garage Sale, which perfectly encapsulates Silvia Lane’s musical turns and adrenaline-inducing beats. Ending their setlist with a cover of Hockey Dad’s Beach House, Silvia Lane upholds the lyrics of their singing. “Don’t be so boring” echoing throughout the UniBar,reminding audiences of their earlier light-hearted badinage which followed Jake dropping his drumstick, cussing into the mic and Charlie apologising with a swift “sorry!” “Boring” is not in the band’s vocabulary. It’s safe to say that Silvia Lane is doing anything but maintaining the status quo.
While we don’t know where the band may venture off to next, there’s no denying that Silvia Lane is a band here to stay, with the range to go tougher, sharper, and bleaker (if need be).
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Image Credit: Laiba Faraz