Expatriate / The Cops

With the toss of a coin, the headliner of tonight’s gig is decided. It’s Expatriate! Following in the steps of fellow northern states-folk Red Riders and Dappled Cities Fly, Sydney’s The Cops and Expatriate took to Australian stages in September and October for a co-headlining tour. The Melbourne leg of their Strange Creatures tour was the last for these two bands whose unintentional similarities were bound to see them tour together. Both bands are promoting new singles and recent album releases (The Cops’ Drop It In Their Laps and Expatriate’s In The Midst Of This), they’ve just completed national tours, both are approaching a career peak and have played in similar size venues but never together. Plus they play catchy pop rock with an individual style and an intense live show.

As main support act on this night, The Cops’ professionalism and confident, tight set coupled with a full venue before their appearance hinted that really, there was very little separating support act and headliner. The support from the Melbourne crowd for two interstate bands was a warming and positive sight. Radio hit ‘Dirty Little Rebel’ took on a bigger, raw sound, coming across far more superior to its highly produced album version. The band alternated between old and new tracks, showing a flair for catchy rock tunes and sing-a-long, flowing melodies. The art-school cool of bespectacled lead singer Simon Carter was a sight as he traveled the entire stage and switched microphones with band members at impromptu moments. A party vibe in celebration of the last night of the tour had developed by the time the last song was performed. Members of Expatriate had invaded the stage, contributing animated choruses and antics to the very popular ‘Call Me Anytime’. Carter announced that this tour has been “a great experience and to end it like this in Melbourne is fucking unbelievable.”

Expatriate had big shoes to fill and they headed straight for audience participation: “Put your hands together and clap in tune with Chris’ drumming. This is gonna be great!” declares effervescent vocalist Ben King. Expatriate, too, began their set with a big single, the gorgeous ‘Play A Part’. Yet they showed that their music isn’t as one dimensional as their radio friendly hits may indicate. Their show took on more depth and variety, with spacey, psychedelic keyboards and an energetic cover of Everything But The Girl’s melancholy single ‘Missing’. King was charismatic and engaging, acknowledging the large turnout on the night with a little humour: “I’m having the night of my life. Thanks for dancing with me. You dance so well and you’re all splendidly good looking as well. This is like a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to come to Melbourne and play to this many people.” The compliments weren’t needed, however, for their hit single Crazy, with its big catchy chorus, was already guaranteed an emphatic response.

Expatriate maintained a consistent level of energy throughout their set which reached a celebratory high on closing song ‘The Spaces Between’. With both bands now in full party mode, they messed about on stage with one another’s instruments indicating big celebrations were in store to mark the end of their highly successful and fun tour.

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