Lime Cordiale, Hordern Pavilion, April 20
★★★½
Reviewed by Michael Bailey
Be it AC/DC, Split Enz or the Veronicas, bands dominated by siblings have often enjoyed an inexplicable advantage.
Tonight, Oli and Louis Leimbach of Lime Cordiale proved no exception, selling out this 5500-seater without the brute force of the Youngs, the profundity of the Finns or the vocal range of the Origliassos.
Lime Cordiale play live at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in 2021.Credit:Graham Denholm
What the shaggy-haired brothers from Scotland Island did have was charm. It’s probably hard not to smile when you’re all wearing ridiculous Nudie-inspired suits, but the love between these two and their band was evident from the moment they embraced as the mariachi walk-on music played, and the good vibes soon spread.
Lime Cordiale’s own music was simple in structure, rarely straying from the classic pop song formula that bagged them four Triple J Hottest 100 entries in 2020, yet it was as textured as Louis’ psychedelic video backdrops were eye-popping.
The way older brother Oli could go from clean surf guitar lines to a clarinet solo on Dirt Cheap, or how Nick Polovineo spent the gig switching between trombone and Telecaster, gives an idea of the variety on offer here.
That said, this was all music that rolled more than it rocked, with many a song driven by Louis’ melodic bass grooves that kept the mosh pit listening more than leaping.
Lime Cordiale go all-out on a charm offensive
Source: Philippines Alive
