Thursday 27th August
I look up, and the disco ball blinds me, but I don’t mind. I’m watching Way Dynamic at my favourite venue, and I’m having too good a time.
It’s a Thursday night at Brudenell Social Club, five days after I caught half of their set at Green Man on a rather packed Walled Garden stage. Tonight they’re not in the Welsh rural heat, but instead looking more at home in Brude’s main room. They’ve completely sold it out, continuing an absolutely brilliant breakout summer for Melbourne native Dylan Young, noting on stage that this is the first time he’s toured an album overseas. Three albums in, you’d say he absolutely deserves it.
At this point, it’s worth noting that while Way Dynamic is Young’s solo vehicle, onstage, it absolutely doesn’t feel that way. They’re tight as a band, trading glances as they plough through tracks from the brilliant new record, Massive Shoe, and most importantly, they look like they’re actually having fun. This last point can’t be understated enough because they’re clearly having a good time, and almost by osmosis, so are we in the audience. Given that all members of Young’s backing band are part of projects he’s played as part of (Good Morning, Cool Sounds and Snowy), I don’t think any of us should be surprised that collaboration and fraternity run deep on stage.
Kicking off with Massive Shoe opener People Settle Down, it’s the perfect start as the crowd starts to bob. Even the moodiest of lads look like they’re having fun, as a sea of singular earrings starts waving back and forth. That seems to be Way Dynamic’s particular penchant across the two times I’ve now seen them: classic pop made easy, accessible, and playful. Within minutes I’ve left all my troubles out on the Brudenell terrace, and everything feels right.
Young’s communicative with the audience tonight, surprising given they’ve just spent three nights on the trot playing to sold-out audiences, noting the two new songs that the five of them are playing. They joke together onstage, and it’s hard not to notice that, if they are fatigued from the travel, they’re clearly not showing it, especially as lead guitarist Dainis Lacey puts down his instrument twice to play percussion while literally also playing with a yo-yo. And you know what, who can blame him? They all deserve just as good a time as the rest of us are having.
As the set closes out with the gloriously janky track I Was The Dancer, there’s a sense of accomplishment that everyone’s got what they wanted from tonight; from the band generally just having a great show, to us in the audience getting fab renditions of the Cate le Bon-esque Ibiza and fan favourite Miffed It. While a part of me feels that tracks from the first and second LPs, So Familiar and Duck, deserve more airtime, overall I can firmly say that I’ve got absolutely no complaints about tonight. Actually, I can go one step further and say I didn’t even mind spilling a fair amount of my drink on account of bad dancing.
Well done Way Dynamic; please come back soon.
