- It's little surprise that Toro Y Moi is so warmly received in Australia, a nation with a keen ear for a finely-crafted pop hook; so it was that we found ourselves at Chaz Bundick's hastily announced 2nd solo Sydney show, just a couple of days after his appearance at the Playground Weekender festival.
On descending the stairs into the mosaic-lined basement space, local lads Bon Chat, Bon Rat moved through a repertoire of synth pop in the steamy but sparsely populated room; but as Bundick and stepped up on stage it began to take on sauna-like tendencies, with unseen people emerging from every dark corner. The traditional band configuration—Bundick on keys, vocals and effects, backed by bass, guitar, and drums—made it apparent from the outset that this wouldn't be a sample-n-paste journey ala his debut Causers of This. Even though he opened with that album's "Blessa," the set leaned heavily towards the sun-warped AM radio territory of new album Underneath the Pines.
The warmth of nostalgia soon became the unbearable heat of a furnace, with everyone onstage and off starting to glisten and wilt, until the venue's air conditioning mercifully cranked into action. Although there was no outstanding musicianship to speak of, Bundick's buried vocals and jaunty musical groove kept the largely young crowd moving with new tracks like "Still Sound" and "New Beat." Nobody, least of all a startled looking Bundick, seemed to know how to deal with a small pocket of rowdy bogans—who thought it appropriate to roar "AWW MY GAWWWD" at the lilting opening strains of a tracks like "Low Shoulders"—but those folks aside, the show was a fun and lighthearted take on Toro Y Moi's simple pleasures.