South Ceiling, Green Pools, ARKO & Reins | Indian Ocean Hotel | 26/06/2020

After several torturous weeks of no live music and a strange new reality of seated shows, punters welcomed a return to the Indian Ocean Hotel stage from indie rockers South Ceiling along with friends Green Pools, ARKO and Reins.

Even with social-distancing restrictions in place there was a buzzing atmosphere throughout the Indian Ocean Hotel from the get-go. Although fans were kept to their seats, their spirit was definitely not hindered and vibes were particularly high for an evening of soft indie music.

Reins helped everyone settle in for the night with his eclectic songwriting skills and acoustic guitar. With a voice some with associate with Chet Faker he mellowed out the crowd with his heartfelt sounds. Reins set a high standard for the rest of the night.

ARKO followed on shortly, the newly rebranded and refurbished outfit for local songstress Sarah Gamble. With three part vocal harmonies and a mixture of keys, electric and acoustic guitar, Arko provided a beautiful wall of sound reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac.
They threw in an excellent cover of Angus and Julia Stone to the crowd’s delight.

Next up was a peculiar act known as Green Pools. With a sound that is more difficult to describe, frontwoman Tessa Hutchinson had the crowd torn between laughing at her banter or crying at her eccentric voice. The band showed off dissonant chord progressions and alternative songwriting decisions, even bringing a ukulele into the mix. Green Pools definitely gave a different but very enjoyable live show.

To cap off the night, local lads South Ceiling brought some good old fashioned Rock n’ Roll to Indi Bar. Lead singer and Guitarist Matt Oakley was full of energy and boasted a soulful husky voice. The guys in South Ceiling provided the audience with a similar feeling as if watching an act like Arctic Monkeys or the Strokes, and gave everything they had pent up during isolation. 

The whole evening was littered with a great variety of sounds, showing off the vibrant array of musicians that this great city has to offer.