Despite having only released two songs, Melbourne multi-instrumentalist G Flip already has a significant base of loyal followers. On Thursday night’s intimate show at the Lansdowne, these fans were treated to one hell of a party and shown what the future of Aussie music looks like.
It was the first time I’d ever been to the Lansdowne, which I knew as a shabby-looking pub off Broadway. Once inside though, it was clear why this place is seen as the reincarnation of the Newtown Social Club; the new home of up-and-coming Aussie music.
The support act, Erthlings, did more than just warm up the crowd. Walking on stage shyly, they began their set by looking to each other and saying “should we get started?”. Once they did, though, they made the place their own. The floor was packed with people, newfound supporters of this talented all-female band who were making the most of their chance on the stage. Later on in the night we learned that if they hadn’t been performing, Erthlings wouldn’t have been allowed in to the venue: they were all only 15 years old. This fact was revealed by G Flip during her set, as she asked the crowd “what were you guys doing when you were 15?”.
G Flip, real name Georgia Flipo, walked on stage and stood behind the drum kit. Accompanied by two of her best mates on guitar and bass, they launched into their first song of the night. It had never been released before, never heard by the audience before, but you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise. The energy that the trio brought was unbelievable, and had the entire room jumping and dancing to the songs as if they knew all the words.
These songs were punctuated with stage banter that bordered on a stand-up routine, as Flipo recounted the story of how her bandmates met, or how her parents bought her a smoke machine when she was a teenager. The crowd was so charmed by not just the anecdotes, but Flipo in general. Here was the kind of person everyone wanted to hang out with.
By far, the highlight of the night came when the band performed G Flip’s latest single ‘Killing My Time’. As Flipo jumped down to dance with everyone who had paid to see her perform, the whole room shook in time with the music. As a room full of people sang back to her at the top of their lungs, it was easy to see why G Flip’s music has had such an impact around the world.
But as the show finished and G Flip thanked the audience, she wasn’t the acclaimed singer-songwriter who had been blowing up festivals from here to the UK. She was our mate. We went and had a chat near the bar when the show was over, and I couldn’t help but feel immensely pleased. Not just at the incredible show that I’d just witnessed, but at Australian music on a whole. Even in the top room of a pub in Chippendale, you can see a night’s worth of incredible music from Australians who are just getting started. We were treated to a whole night of music that, for the most part, hadn’t even been released yet, showing us that the future of Australian music really is bright.
