A few years ago, I got into Parcels, an Australian Indietronica band that, at the time, was just starting to gain popularity. So when I got the opportunity to see them live at the spacious Financial Theatre, I jumped on it, even if it had been some time since I avidly listened to them.
I’m glad I did; the show was surprisingly electric for the band’s mellow records, presenting a harder performing sound with heavy instrumentation. The percussionist, Antole Serret, stuck out as a favorite performer to me, but I’ve always had a bias for drums in music. To be clear, however, the entire band brought a strong energy and stage performance, which I was not expecting given the genre (though it was welcome).
Beyond the performers themselves, I was also very impressed by the light work, though it felt more engineered for those watching from farther back from the stage. The large orange floodlight panels behind the band frequently blinded me when they all came on at once, an effect that looked much better when seen through the two cameramen on stage’s live feeds rather than looking at the performers themselves. I think this is somewhat against the point of a live concert, filtering it through a screen to the side of the stage, but it was mostly at the start of the show that this blinding was an issue. Later into the show, there were several moments that worked much better for looking at the viewers, such as dynamic spotlights.
Despite being higher energy than I was expecting, the music was still what I went to see; typical indietronica, not a particularly unique or revolutionary genre. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad, however. Parcels are far from a bad band, but if you seek out avant garde performances, you may not enjoy this show. With that said, I found Parcels to be compellingly energetic and authentic. They seemed genuinely eager to perform and excited for the oppertunity, something you can understand reading their band’s history of early struggle. Their opener, Velvet Trip, is another reflection of this, being a small Australian band from Parcel’s home town on their first tour of America. It’s good to see Parcels reflecting on their pasts as struggling musicians by helping out other local artists, and it serves as an encapsulation of the authenticity that drove so many to this show, enough to pack the floor and the stands above.