LIVE REVIEW: THE PIERCE BROTHERS + STEPH STRINGS @ THE ESPY
Photo Credit: Lauren Barrey
Arriving at the Espy on Friday night, it was comforting to see the golden lights glow against
the white façade. The Espy’s doors were closed from 2015-2018 for renovation, and after
lockdowns of 2020, it is back and has solidified its place as one of the best nightlife venues
in Melbourne.
On top of that, the Gershwin room remains a goal for artists local and
international to play. This honour was not lost on the first act of the evening, Steph Strings.
Steph’s cool and calm presence immediately draws you into her performance. Despite
heading into the cooler months, she had sunkissed skin and I would believe she swam in the
ocean every day of the year. She opened her set playing slide guitar whilst a harmonica
hung around her neck. Steph displayed her guitar skills with an instrumental opener. She
acknowledged guitar felt like home for her, only singing for the last year or two.
Photo Credit: Lauren Barrey
She easily transitioned through her songs which impressed the Pierce Brothers fans. Her
relatable lyrics warmed the crowd and cheered for her haunting lyrics, “I flip through my
journals and see the skulls of the catacombs”. Not contained to sad or sorrowful sounds,
Steph expressed how much fun she had playing Antigone – a song dedicated to an old
school friend. The power behind this song had Steph and the crowd jumping and hollering.
It had some rock flavour in it. I was thoroughly impressed with the entire performance and
will be lining up for her next show.
Speaking to Steph the day after the show, she said “I am still on a high, the audience was so
energetic and the environment I was playing in was bloody magical! And I still cannot
believe I got up on stage with the boys for an improvised song!! Incredible amounts of
energy”.
Photo Credit: Lauren Barrey
The Pierce Brothers walked out to an eruption from the audience. Their on-stage presence
was clearly missed and after the short notice cancellation of Bluesfest, which as the boys
aptly noted “fucking sucks”, they were fired up for a big show. Jack was itching to perform at
the Espy, “I never thought I would play here ever again”.
They came prepared with six guitars and four vocal mics to modify their sound. Two of the microphones had effects which allowed a variety and depth to the vocals. Speaking of vocals, I was entranced by the harmonies which swirled around us for their second song.
Photo Credit: Lauren Barrey
My favourite songs of the night were “Trip Lovers” and “Genevieve”. Pierce Brothers are one of those bands I keep hearing about but never fully listened to and I was kicking myself for not knowing the words to sing along. Their tone was familiar, yet fun. They were further buoyed by their family in attendance, with cheeky winks and waves scattered throughout their show.
Fans can never complain they did not get what they paid for as the Pierce Brothers played for a whopping 1 hour and 40 minutes – compared to an average gig of 45 minutes to an hour, this was beyond generous. That being said, the crowd wouldn’t let them leave the stage. After walking off, the crowd kept singing until they returned, thankfully agreeing to “play a couple more”. That couple more songs had a folk mosh pit of sorts, couples dancing at the back of the room and one punter positioned on his best mates shoulders.
Photo Credit: Lauren Barrey
For the last two songs, I found myself in the middle of the crowd and felt the connection with the room. That feeling of everyone being together enjoying the music, was something we have all missed and I won’t lie, when they brought Steph Strings back on stage for a feature on one of their tracks, I welled up. I know how much that moment would have meant to her and the energy in response to their improvised tune was electric. It is what live music is meant to be at its very core.
The Pierce Brothers have a few more shows coming up across Victoria and I would highly recommend checking them out.
