Wallows review: LA indie band rock Fremantle Arts Centre with debut Perth gig despite windy weather

American indie pop-rockers Wallows performed charismatically in Perth for the first time in their career despite unfavourable weather conditions. The band — consisting of Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters, and Cole Preston — kicked off their Australian tour at Fremantle Arts Centre on Thursday night, marking their first time playing in WA. Emerging on stage after 8.15pm, the trio and accompanying band members launched into Your Apartment, the title track of their newest album, followed by Anytime, Always. “Hey, how are you doing, everyone? We’re called Wallows,” lead singer Minnette said. “We’re excited to come back to this country; let’s have the best night ever.” After playing their 2019 song Scrawny, Minnette asked his thousands of fans to clarify his confusion about whether they were in Perth or Freo. Finally settling on the decision they were technically in both cities, the 27-year-old apologised for the somewhat unattractive stage design. Due to windy conditions, the band couldn’t showcase the “production we normally do”. “It’s going to be a full-on rock ‘n’ roll show,” Minnette said. The crowd didn’t seem to mind, though, with hardcore fans happy to see their musical favourites in person at the beloved outdoor venue. The band continued to smash out more popular songs such as the newest one, Bad Dream and These Days. Preston, predominantly the drummer, took a moment to shout out Freo-born bands Tame Impala and San Cisco. The crowd erupted into screams at the mention of the globally renowned homegrown bands from the American star. He also obsessed over our “incredible wildlife”. “We saw and heard various birds...one with a pink head and a black and white one.” Another highlight of the cool summer evening was when guitarist Lemasters surprised the audience by sneaking off the stage and appearing in the crowd to sing a song. Upon realisation, phones immediately shot up in a bid to capture him, making his way through the crowd and back to the stage. Fans became more upbeat when the band launched into another hit track off their new album, Model, called Calling After Me. At this point, the stage also became more fun, with a huge Wallows sign that lit up in different colours, adding a more vibrant and attractive element to the show. It makes sense why Minnette put his acting career on hold, as he truly is a talented musician. Not only did his strong vocals shine through, but he also smoothly switched between an acoustic and bass guitar, drums, and even the harmonica. After saying a brisk “goodnight,” the band disappeared from the stage, but the crowd was quick to call for an encore, shouting, “One more song.” After a few minutes, applause and cheers filled the atmosphere as they returned to the spotlight. “There’s gonna be two more songs, but if you just want one...” Minnette joked. Wallows finished their debut Perth gig on a high following a raw, stripped-back production-wise first half of the show. Despite the good music but not-so-flashy set-up, it didn’t stop fans from having a good pre-cursor to the weekend. It did, however, prove that all the bells and whistles aren’t a main requirement if the artists are truly talented. It was also lovely to see the band engage so much with the crowd; Minnette even gave one lucky fan the piece of paper that included the night’s set list and threw bracelets into the front rows. “We’ll be back as soon as possible,” he promised. The verdict 3.5 out 5 stars