SIMONE & GIRLFUNKLE
Runner / High Hopes / Sidewalk Diamonds
The Bakery
Saturday, May 5, 2012

With a line-up boasting some of the local scene’s most charming and heart-warming musicians it was little surprise that the audience for Simone & Girlfunkle’s slyly poppy, ambitiously arranged folk-pop on Saturday evening was comprised of a hundred or so hipsters in flannel button-downs and ironic grandma dresses.

Following on from Sidewalk Diamonds who played early in the evening (unfortunately so early this reviewer missed their set) folk-tinged vocal-focused outfit High Hopes took the stage next in what would be their debut appearance. With local songstress Hayley Beth in command, their charming and surprisingly muscular set impressed the ever growing crowd of punters who found shelter from the rain and howling winds close to the stage. In fact, the control over their instruments these musicians displayed, combined with their ability to bounce of one another to great effect, made them shine brighter than some of their more established counterparts playing around town. It will be interesting to see where they go to from here.
               
Next up Runner proved they are not a band in need of guidance. The young quintet arrived with a fully formed, authentic voice, and their set drew from an engaging catalog of songs about small things rendered widescreen by the skill of their melodies. Their performance swerved from virtually a cappella vocals layered over faint pickings of guitar before slowly building into a full stomping rush as all five members roared “Oh to see it.” The song was Indiana, a track which shares its name with (but unfortunately doesn’t appear on) Runner’s debut EP, released locally earlier this year, and rightly acclaimed by critics and a fast-growing audience for a sound equally delicate and explosive. But not even the album quite captures the full, celebratory effect of Runner live. Taking turns to share vocals saw percussionist Chris Watson shine on Flaws, while guitarist Jason Pang brought a beautiful frailty with his softer voice on Pilgrim. Bassist Scott Kay (best known around the local traps as a member of prog metal outfit Voyager) filled in for the holidaying Cameron Stewart to great effect, and brought a new energy to RTRfm favourites Outlines And Colours and Four Flowers.
              
After Runner’s set those punters who were loosened up from glasses of vino flocked to the dancefloor, where DJ Tristan Fidler spun party tunes like it was 1999 (with the aid of his ‘party stick’). Before anyone’s feet could begin to ache, however, the music stopped and lights dimmed. Moments later the crowd was treated to a preview screening of Simone And Girlfunkle’s new video clip for Blown Into The Wind, a beautifully crafted piece featuring beautiful girls dancing in beautiful party dresses. Following the subsequent rapturous applause, the outfit quickly thanked punters and wasted no time kicking into a set of their easy strumming and likeable melodies, a PG distillation of vintage country influences and spot-on harmonies. From the way co-frontwomen Bridget Turner and Gabrielle Lammers sing, in big gulps and growls, to the mystical arty ballads they bedazzle with hand claps and flailing arms, there was enough drama here for a Broadway musical. But their delivery was so raw that every mess felt genuine. Simone & Girlfunkle may not believe in standing still, but with a live performance style this fun and engaging it would be sacrilege to ask anything else of them.

 _JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD