Photo credit: Frank Yang
We here at the Panic Manual first caught Australian dream pop artist Hatchie a little over a year ago at SXSW and were impressed with her sound and her live show – clearly she seemed primed for greater success. So it’s a bit surprising that she’s taken things a bit slow, with her full length debut Keepsake only just coming out later this year (June 21) on Double Double Whammy Records. Still, while it’s been a bit of a long wait, her fine EP Sugar & Spice has surely tided fans over in the meantime, and in the buildup to the new album’s release, she’s currently on a tour with Girlpool that came through Longboat Hall on Saturday night.
During her roughly 30 minute set, Hatchie (aka Harriette Pillbeam) kept things short but sweet, running through a set packed full of beautiful, shimmering numbers like “Try” and “Sure” off the EP as well as a few off of the upcoming full length like “Without A Blush.” Since the last time Hatchie ventured around these parts, the live band has been scaled back to a three piece, but the band sounded great and doesn’t seem to have lost any of the fullness in their sound. I also have to give props to the drummer in particular for having a set of chimes as part of his kit – outside of new age music and a few prog rock bands, you don’t really see enough chimes these days.
Hatchie put on a solid show that left the crowd wanting more. Here’s hoping she’ll be back soon enough for a full headlining set once Keepsake is released.