Live Review: FEATURE ARTIST: Kate & Max

Look, I’m going to say it like it is: playing KATE & MAX for your significant other/love interest/hot neighbour will probably get you laid. I mean, I’m not guaranteeing anything, just giving you a friendly tip. 

In all seriousness, though: kate & max pen dreamy, nostalgic songs that ring with all the innocence and sweetness of falling in love and then getting your heart broken for the first time. Kate Golding’s voice is velvety, heartfelt, and sure to make the object of your affections swoon. Her counterpart, Max Blake, is the perfect complement; subtly silky vocals and a mastery over the strings of his guitar that has the ability to transport the listener – that’s you – to a “rainy Sunday morning”. (That’s their words, not mine.)

Certainly, songs like ‘Lost Sea’ will make you think of Sunday’s in bed, but kate & max aren’t a one trick pony. Each track seems to have a mind of its own, spinning a new little love story. A personal favourite is ‘23^rd of June’, which is the musical embodiment of how I feel leaving work on a Friday afternoon mid-winter – huddling up into a scarf, clicking my heels and smiling at small children on public transport – but better, because parents aren’t accusing me of trying to scare and/or kidnap their children. (That’s just how my face is, okay?!)

Turns out, Brisbane bands like kate & max are taking over Australian airwaves one feel-good song at a time: these two are slowly but steadily gaining airplay on Triple J.

Play their album below for your beloved – and if that leads to the object of your affections humping you with all the ferocity of a honey badger? YOU’RE WELCOME.

Purple Sneakers: helping you get some.

Words by Cheryl Billman

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