Mayfair Kytes at The Vanguard

Olivia Watson
2nd May 2016

Melbourne indie art-pop band Mayfair Kytes launched their new album Animus to a loyal crowd at The Vanguard in Sydney last week. The creative album filled with dreamy vocal harmonies was released at the start of the month, and brings the band up from Victoria for their first ever Sydney gig.

After support acts Lou Millar, SUIXX (whose frontman's stage antics threatened to steal the show at one point!) and Brokebeat Mountain, the headline group took to the stage and instantly changed the mood by dropping the drums and bass volumes a tad and launching into song. They made up for the lack of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra string players that accompanied them on the album, filling the cozy Vanguard theatre quite nicely with their warm tones.

Staying true to the gentle, introspective mood of their recordings, the live show didn't fall into the trap of excess noise for the sake of it - it was a delightful extension on a great album. Cruising melodies, interesting beats and creative synth effects galore.

Mayfair Kytes set themselves apart from the crowd of indie alt-pop bands of now with their creative use of vocals and soothingly tight harmonies. A completely a cappella intro to "Sleepyhead" was an extension of this, and fantastic. It suggests a strong appreciation for music that does them credit.

The final two tracks started with a gentle voice and guitar trio, where some audience members sat comfortably on the floor by the stage to soak up this mood, then the closing number had them up and dancing, with a strong response from the happy crowd and, hopefully, a return visit to Sydney on the not-too-distant horizon.

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