Adding a splash or two of Lime Cordiale to your playlist is guaranteed to make your day a little sweeter! One of Australia’s biggest and busiest bands performed to a sold-out Nottingham Rescue Rooms crowd, and we couldn’t wait to have a taste...
From the same neck of the woods as tonight's main act is Great Gable, entering the stage with a stereotypically wonderful introduction: “G’day! Hey yo, it’s chockers in ‘ere! Crack open some tinnies and enjoy yourselves!” Just like their headliner counterparts, the band have a real knack for writing groovin’ tunes that get you movin’. Standout singles like Hazy solidifies that smokescreen of clanky guitar riffs into tangible warmth, while Fine Wine hammers down that indie-pop sentiment with a modern twist. Although technically marred by a faulty microphone, their performance was an intricately technical foray into their world down under.
A couple stood in front of me are facetiming various people throughout the support set – with a bit of eavesdropping, it turns out they’re from the same rural Western Australian town as the band! What’s the likelihood of travelling thousands of miles from home and ending up in the same room as your local garage band?
The pre-show playlist punctures through the hum of a packed-out crowd with Ocean Alley and Tame Impala’s greatest hits, well and truly setting the tone of the night (and it is well and truly packed out, our raucous cheers when we’re told it’s the fastest selling show of all tour have no room to reverberate off the walls).
I didn’t think I could be surprised by concerts anymore, yet Lime Cordiale are the complete entertainment package, masters of the crowd-pleasing moment, and well aware of the theatrically of their material. Guaranteed a loud guffaw slipped from my teeth more than once during the show, my only negative takeaway for the night being that it was my first time seeing them live.
Starting out just as the new album does with Pedestal, we’re instantly immersed within the tropical-laced percussion that has become their signature. A decade-plus into the game and the brothers are crafting choruses that still sound fresh against their older material, evident with Temper Temper
smoothly transitioning the night ahead. “We normally end the set with Temper but we knew you’d bring the energy early!
"We’re in sync, the Brits and the Aussies,” Louis Leimbach is shrugging his blazer off and giving us a wink with a suavity that could only be knocked down by your sibling. “We feel very at home here--” “--It’s like our mum is in the room! Lou got a new haircut, if you couldn’t tell. It’s s**t!” Oli Leimbach angling his guitar like a rifle, cleanly shooting his brother down is rather subdued for their antics.
“Alright, alright! Enough Of The Sweet Talk!” And the titular track is as swaggering as it is mournful in its groove. The extended touring act somehow add character to the already eccentric sibling duo, harnessing their playful energy in classics such as Naturally and embedding it within this blanket of noise. A palette of lo-fi pop seasoned with clever wordplay is a pastiche to surf rock, all while incorporating trombone, clarinet – a skit which repeats throughout the night of a roadie ‘forcing’ Oli to begrudgingly play – trumpet and even a kazoo on top of the standard rock band ensemble.
The sibling ensemble is another matter. It would be hard not to let envy creep into your emotions when you’ve just belted out on Happiness Season and your brother gets the same appreciation for doing a flippant groove behind you. It’s an ever-escalating sight to see, the songs themselves reducing the Leimbach siblings to their most primitive emotions; they never make eye contact, yet they’re each trying
to grab the crown for king of the people’s hearts in their own subtle way.
Mid-set we are left with just the brothers and... is that a boxing referee? Whistles are blown; the stage is split down the middle in red and blue lighting; Louis and Oli then become embroiled in this slow-motion, dance number-esque, artful fight scene. Maddening. Even more so is Oli's anecdote of long touring days
and subsequent lonely touring nights, the dreams that entail, and dedicating the acoustic cover of Touch Myself to his brother. Again, maddening.
No Plans To Make Plans has the band orchestrating crowd control against the backdrop of a fantastic trombone solo. It’s an extensive singalong between sides that mimics the ‘fight’ earlier, its
ridiculousness further reinforced with Country Club. Their charisma goes far beyond their entertaining nature, if you still needed convincing: slapstick is in full swing with Louis cracking open a can, gesturing wildly as he mimes along to his brother’s vocals, ignorant to the waterfall of beer at his feet, then taking a sip of his now emptied can. It’s simple, but effective; it’s little details like this that catalyses an artist more to the forefront than just being a vehicle for their songs. Even with the space-wavey production of their lighting rigs on Money, the band are uniquely the standout element here.
“This is our most environmentally friendly tour yet,” Oli takes a moment amidst the instrumental
adornments to be serious. “There’s a lot behind the scenes that people don’t know about. Our vinyls, all of us camping together on the one tour bus – send your prayers, people! – the materials of our t-shirts and merchandise. We’d be glad if you could take part in that a little, too.”
Lime Cordiale are one of Australia’s biggest and busiest bands right now, and it’s no surprise! Although I am surprised they’re frequenting Rescue Rooms again, this highly polished, crowd-pleasing and thoroughly entertaining act was the perfect soundtrack to close out summer with.
Lime Cordiale performed at Rescue Rooms on 30th August 2024, with support from Great Gable.
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