Photo credit: Elizabeth Janowski
The Sydney, Australia, indie-rock trio Middle Kids broke out last year with their self-titled EP, featuring the existential hit single “Edge of Town.” The six-track release boasted a refreshing blend of soaring, anthemic rock and rollicking folk— the type of music evocative of a summer drive with the windows down. This year they released an impressive debut full-length, Lost Friends, that further showcased their contemplative streak. Underlying their signature breezy melodies, Lost Friends ruminates on uncertainty, insecurity and the fallout of failed relationships.
Concertgoers streamed into the East Side’s cozy Back Room at Colectivo on Wednesday night to see Middle Kids and the New York-based opening act The Shacks. The intimate venue proved the perfect size for the show, with the audience packed comfortably to the back wall. Before the concert, crowd-members filtered in and out to grab drinks from the attached coffee shop, setting a suitably laidback tone for the night.
The Shacks stunned with a dazzling display of raw talent and versatility, melding elements of psychedelic rock, vintage soul and blues. Twenty-year-old lead singer and bassist Shannon Wise’s hushed, ethereal vocals drifted effortlessly from the charmingly sweet single “Follow Me” and their cover of Hooverphonic’s 1998 single “This Strange Effect.” The band kept the audience on their toes throughout the set, switching from swirling, sophisticated melodies to free-flowing jam sessions without missing a beat as the bandmates riffed off each other, spiraling into a rock ’n’ roll frenzy. The Shacks are immensely talented for their young age.
Middle Kids opened strong with fan-favorite “Never Start” from their first EP before delving into recently released single “Salt Eyes.” Frontwoman Hannah Joy’s vocals radiated just as warmly on stage as they do on the studio recordings, pairing with vibrant guitar riffs to carry the tunes to triumphant crescendos. The band broke out with a high-energy performance of “Edge of Town” surprisingly early in the set, getting a good portion of the crowd jumping up and down with them during the infectious chorus.
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Halfway through the show, Joy— a classically trained pianist— swapped her guitar for a keyboard for a heartfelt solo performance of “Doing It Right.” Between songs, the group kept up the energy by cracking jokes and mentioning experiences from their short stay in Milwaukee. “We took some videos of us throwing axes at that axe-throwing bar around the corner, but we’re not sure whether we look cool or lame,” laughed guitarist Tim Fitz.
Middle Kids rounded out the set with a fitting rendition of “So Long, Farewell, I’m Gone,” in which Joy delivered a show-stopping, powerhouse vocal performance as the song swelled to its explosive conclusion. The band glided into the contagiously lively hooks of “Bought It” and “Mistake” for its encore— rousing up the crowd one last time before the end of the show. As Joy remarked earlier in the set, she hoped the audience would leave "feeling like a Friday instead of a Wednesday.” And that was precisely what the Middle Kids’ energized, emotionally raw set accomplished.
