Confidence Man – Racket – December 8, 2023

Australian dance outfit Confidence Man were in the Meatpacking District on Friday night to throw a shake-it-don’t-break-it party at a packed Racket, the final show of their brief North American tour.

Photos courtesy of Michelle Paradis | @michelleparadis_

Live Review: Confidence Man @ O2 Institute, Birmingham

Artist: Confidence Man

Venue:  O2 Institute, Birmingham, UK

Date: 23rd November 2022

Rating: 8.0/10

After being the toast of the festival circuit this summer can Confidence Man replicate such carefree hedonism on a drizzly November night in Birmingham? Yes, yes they can! Whether it’s performing on a barmy summer’s day or the modest confines of the O2 Institute, the Australian quartet know how to unleash giddy party vibes with aplomb. The foursome’s dance-pop revelry is nothing but upbeat and brimming with silly joy as they sashay through choice cuts from their two studio albums ‘Confident Music for Confident People’ and ‘TILT’, along with a few singles and an inspired cover to close off the night.  

What can you expect from a Confidence Man show? A performance, that’s what. Tonight’s gig isn’t just four people on stage dialling it in, this is high energy pop with numerous costume changes and simple yet effective synchronised dance moves, all delivered with a poker-face as they bound around like they’re doing an aerobic workout. Taking to the stage in oversized suits, a la David Byrne in Talking Heads’ seminal documentary ‘Stop Making Sense’, front pairing Janet Planet and Sugar Bones kick off their pulse racing set with ‘Toy Boy’ and ‘Out the Window’. Utilising their props with style, their exaggerated formal wear takes on its own persona while the duo round their shoulders to the sound of thumping dance music supplied by Clarence McGuffie and Reggie Goodchild. While Planet and Bones are the main focal point, what with their flailing limbs and non-stop vitality, McGuffie and Goodchild are more discreet in their stage get-up; they’re dressed like ninja beekeepers with their faces obscured by black veils – of course!

After rattling through the first four songs of the evening, the suits are removed in favour of neon flashing shoulder pads and white trousers for Bones and a white fringed flapper dress and a Madonna-esque conical bra that strobes with all the colours of the rainbow for Planet. It’s at this point where the tempo ratchets up and the frenetic duo leap into overdrive. 90s house music infiltrates the night and a Balearic tone intoxicates the heaving Brummie contingent. Champagne is sprayed, sunglasses are donned and arms are hurled skyward; forget Birmingham, squint your eyes and this could be Ibiza and the debauchery of Manumission back in the day. The likes of ‘Does It Make You Feel Good?’, ‘Feels Like a Different Thing’ and ‘Luvin U is Easy’ go down a storm as you would want and expect. Not forgetting the tongue-in-cheek silliness of the group, there’s a healthy dollop of satire as the front pairing spell out “cool” with similar arm movements to the YMCA on ‘C.O.O.L Party’ at the heart of the main set. After another costume change, this time floaty snakeskin-like bohemian fabric billows like ship sails, the pair bring proceedings to a close with ‘Boyfriend (Repeat)’ and fan favourite ‘Holiday’. The latter is the perfect way to round off Confidence Man’s Birmingham show, with both performers and audience fused in an anthemic, rowdy union.

Wait, what’s this, surely they can’t top the flawless ‘Holiday’? Well, apparently they can and they did. A two song encore is triggered by ‘Relieve the Pressure’ which doesn’t quite match the effervescence of ‘Holiday’ but the colossal synth stabs of ‘Heaven’, a cover of DJ Sammy’s trance smash hit (which in-turn is a Bryan Adams cover) signals one last hurrah with frantic dancing from band and punters.

Striding out of festival season Confidence Man were coronated band of the summer and on the strength of tonight’s show they might need to be upgraded to band of the year.

 Word and thoughts by Adam Williams

 Photography by Naomi Abbs-Williams

FESTIVAL FINDS: YPSIGROCK 2018 | The Most Radicalist

In this feature, The Most Radicalist pick out their favourite emerging artists opening up stages across the globe. For this edition of Festival Finds, we're flying out to Sicily for Ypsigrock Festival, which promises to be like no other. The festival takes place in Castelbuono, a medieval village set in the scenic hills about an hour away from Palermo and a short twenty minute drive to the Mediterranean sea. For a weekend in August (9th to 12th), this sleepy village will play host to global musicians and music fans flocking from all over the island, Italy and further afield. Festival goers can expect the best of Sicilian hospitality combined with unique performances in historic courtyards, cloisters, pine woods, desecrated churches and the iconic castle’s square. This year, this boutique festival has booked headliners The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Horrors, and Aurora, although here at The Most Radicalist, we’re all about the newest sounds and so our festival picks look at the must-see smaller acts who would be well worth seeing at any event, but especially in the castle home of Ypsigrock. Discover our Festival Finds - Ama Lou, Her, Kelly Lee Owens, Shame, Blue Hawaii, and Confidence Man - below.

AMA LOU We’ve been on the tail of Ama Lou ever since the North Londoner made her impressive debut ‘TBC’ in 2016. Then she was just 18-years-old, but her age is irrespective of the British artist's conscience as her songwriting is unafraid of approaching deeper, more serious issues that affect our society, such as oppression of minorities. This moral agency is coupled with a desire to push the boundaries of genre and production. Her music has travelled from the twitchy electronic R&B of ‘TBC’, to the soulful tenderness of ‘Not Always’, to the eclecticism of ‘Said It Already’, and lastly to pop tendencies of ‘Lost My Home’. Ama Lou is an artist who’s grown up around the influences of London’s R&B scene, her classical training and all the offerings from the online world that young creatives have access to. Each of her songs pertains a relevant, unavoidbable message based on her own experience as a young person of minority heritage living in a sprawling metropolis, against a backdrop of balanced, beautiful R&B and pop influenced music.

HER This is sure to be one of the most emotional, heart-rendering performances of the festival and not for the reasons you’d usually expect. Her’s music isn’t overtly designed to evoke the buried hatch of feelings we all store away - their music is fresh, sexy and built around slick, slow-jazz rhythms. However, anyone who has been following Her since debut single ‘Quite Like’, when this project was still in its anonymous genesis, you’ll know that the band was struck with tragedy last year. Sadly, one half of the duo Simon Carpentier passed away after a long and private battle with cancer. The loss is commemorated by remaining band member Victor Solf in a song called ‘We Choose’, through which the musician’s energy continues to live on. It will certainly be a powerful experience to hear Solf’s dedication to his friend and long-term collaborator in a live setting, bring that presence from the studio in Paris to the sage in Sicily. Through tracks ‘Quite Like’, ‘We Choose’ and many more, Her add that chic French touch to Ypsigrock’s lineup. KELLY LEE OWENS Speaking with the organisers behind Ypsigrock Festivals, one of their first recommendations for an artist to see this year is Kelly Lee Owens, the London-based Welsh musician who swapped indie-rock for dream-pop and ambient techno in a much acclaimed debut album. The self-titled record takes the listener on a journey through meditative soundscapes, deft production and creative arrangements that smoothly introduces club beats appealing for newcomers and the most seasoned ravers alike. If this is your first introduction to Kelly Lee Owens, then we’d like to turn your attention to album track ‘Lucid’, which is the perfect example of her hybrid style. Beginning with orchestral violins, the song expands into dreamy electronica and Owens’ floating, reverb-soaked vocals; the tension is kept at arm's length until the last moment, where the dance beats break through into murky overtones and space-age synths. CONFIDENCE MAN Confidence Man make music for letting go of your inhibitions. Their album Confident Music For Confident People is a hedonistic melting pot of early LCD Soundsystem, Le Tigre, Beck, Hot Chip, and Jagwar Ma. Far from sounding like a dizzying mix, Confidence Man is an exhilarating kaleidoscope that alters your usual perception in favour of an optimistic outlook. The Melbourne outfit is made up of four characters Janet Planet, Sugar Bones, Clarence McGuffie and Reggie Goodchild and they’ve built up a mighty reputation for raising the roofs (figuratively and literally) at a string of festivals. We can only hope that the castle is left standing once Confidence Man are through with their high-octane performance. SHAME South London rockers Shame are a refreshing dose of youthful and raw post-punk that sounds like a combination of Fat White Family and The Stone Roses. Far from old school bravado, Shame are aware of their newness, although their approach shows a maturity beyond their years. As charismatic frontman Charlie Steen says of popular single ‘One Rizla’: “Embracing insecurity as a strength is what this song is about. It's the first song we ever wrote as a band and I think that's reflected in the simplicity of it. It's honest and raw, whilst attempting a stab at number one in the pop charts across the eastern hemisphere.” We suspect you may have to take any statements made by this British band with a pinch of salt, especially listening to songs like ‘Dust On Trial’, a grungy death rattle that hardly seems fit for today’s charts, but perfect for the open-minded audiences of Ypsigrock Festival. BLUE HAWAII Blue Hawaii aren’t ones to toot their own horn, instead allowing their fans to organically find their music, and once found, you won’t be able to draw yourselves away from their magical folk-pop. Back in 2010, the pairing of Raph Standell-Preston (also the lead singer in the band Braids) and Agor (aka Alexander Cowan) quietly released their debut EP, Blooming Summer, and since then the Montreal bandmates have continued to refine their soothing sound. Tinged with disco, dream-pop, tropical house and indie-folk, you can’t help but appreciate Blue Hawaii’s bold and well-handled variation. One moment you're transfixed on the delicacy of ‘Try To Be’, then you're grooving on down to ‘No One Like You’, before going back to gentle, melodic contemplation with ‘Get Happy’. If you're looking for diverse listening experience over the festival weekend, you can’t afford to miss Blue Hawaii.

http://www.themostradicalist.com/features/festival-finds-ypsigrock-2018/

Creating With Chaos: Take Five With Electro-Pop Juggernauts Confidence Man

Creating With Chaos: Take Five With Electro Pop Juggernauts Confidence Man

With Confidence Man’s groovy new single “Does It Make You Feel Good?” on high-rotation for the nation, Sugar Bones, Janet Planet, Clarence McGuffie, and Reggie Goodchild are continuing to rise to the top of Australia’s indie electro-pop music scene, creating tracks that are filled with energetic lyrics and beats that are designed to make you move.

The Melbourne-based four-piece have been working…

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New Video: Brisbane's Confidence Man Releases an Occult Themed Visual for 90s House-Inspired "Does It Make You Feel Good?"

New Video: Brisbane's Confidence Man Releases an Occult Themed Visual for 90s House-Inspired "Does It Make You Feel Good?" @confidencemanTM @retroglo @SchnabelSchall

With the release of last year’s full-length debut, Confident Music for Confident People, which featured a handful of breakthrough singles, the Brisbane, Australia-based dance pop act Confidence Man— led by Janet Planet and Sugar Bones and featuring Clarence McGuffie and Reggie Goodchild — received attention nationally and…

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Confident Music for Confident People

Inspired by grooveships and late night discos Brisbane dance-quartet Confidence Man’s debut album is guaranteed to get you out of your seat

Confidently setting out for the reputation they know they deserved opening shows for bands amoung the names of Chairlift and performing local festivals such as Curve Ball and Splendor in the Grass shortly after their discovery on ‘Triple J Unearthed’. Confidence Man have evolved their sound over the last 2 years adding to their set list even adding a verse to there previous singles.

Janet Planet sets the tone for Confident Music for Confident People with irrepressible pashion dedicated to celebration, the addictive dance anthem “Try You Luck” come to the likes of Deee-Lite, Tom Tom Club and Fischerspooner.

Sugar Bones deliver smooth vocals in the hysteria of “Catch my Breath” influenced by Talking Heads and LCD Soundsystem. Meanwhile the classified electric side honchos Reggie Goodchild (synths) and Clarence McGuffie (percusion) hiding in the shadows, under veils have there bubblegum-techno duet on the 9th track “Sailboat Vacation”.

deepfeedfinds: Confidence Man

Por muito que a omnipresença do todo-poderoso algoritmo e das suas constantes (e não poucas vezes estapafúrdias) sugestões de contas, produtos e conteúdos nas redes sociais já cheguem a meter nojo, a barra lateral de recomendados do YouTube parece ser, para quem usa algum tipo de ad-block, o raro oásis onde esse “deus invisível do código” nos traz coisas novas e dignas do nosso tempo (e não conteúdo publicitado sem interesse algum).

Os Confidence Man, grupo praticante de uma alegre e jovial electropop, foram a minha mais recente descoberta nesse mesmo oásis. Composto por Janet Planet, Sugar Bones, Clarence McGuffie e Reggie Goodchild, o conjunto conseguiu a proeza de causar grande indignação nas redes sociais antes de lançarem qualquer LP, depois de terem sido apontados pela Triple J como uma das mais promissoras bandas australianas, para grande desagrado dos atrasados mentais que adoram agitar a bandeira do “hurr durr, nem tocam instrumentos”.

Broncas à parte, esta “Boyfriend (Repeat)” é um perfeito exemplo de música divertida e feita para dançar sem preocupações, descrição que também serve que nem uma luva aos outros dois singles já lançados pelos Confidence Man. Com sorte, 2018 será o ano em que lançam a sua estreia; até lá, temos deliciosas migalhas como esta para nos contentarmos.

JM

D2D IN FOCUS

• MYSTIC BRAVES •

Mystic Braves might be rooted in the psychedelic scene of the 1960s, but the band’s moment is happening right now.

Based in Echo Park, the Braves — who are signed to influential indie label Lolipop Records — are at the forefront of a white-hot garage band revival, and when the band isn’t selling out shows across the country, they’re playing alongside legendary groups like The Zombies and Brian Jonestown Massacre or providing the soundtrack for can’t-miss fashion events like Saint Laurent Paris’ Spring-Summer 2015 collection. While the group — made up of Julian Ducatenzeiler on guitar and vocals, Tony Malacara on bass and vocals, Shane Stotsenberg on guitar and vocals, Cameron Gartung on drums and Ignacio Gonzalez on organ and tambourine — isn’t straying far from what Ducatenzeiler calls “a blend of influence and sound that is unprecedented in contemporary music”.

“We’ve always been a pop-structured psych band and we’re continuing along those lines,” Ducatenzeiler says. “But we’re trying some new things out as well. We’ve elevated the songwriting” Indeed, the group is experimenting with more exotic instruments and is building a library of new songs to show off its invigorating style not only in the studio but at a series of big-ticket festivals including Burgerama, Beach Goth, Desert Daze and the Austin Psych Fest.

It’s a long way from how the band began. “We had no idea when we started that we’d come as far as we have,” Ducatenzeiler says. “But from the moment we released our demos, people have really responded.”

• PIXX •

Originally from Chipstead, just beyond the fringes of south London where suburban sprawl starts to break into countryside, Hannah Rodgers is from a family of music lovers and her early life was soundtracked by her father’s expansive record collection; she has previously cited acts as diverse as Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush and Altered Images. Encouraged to sing and write, these formative years led to her creative talents being recognised by the prestigious BRIT School. It was only after graduating that she begin to think of doing anything with her own music, resisting the more mainstream route traditionally taken by her peers. Adopting her grandmother’s nickname, Pixx was born

Signed to venerable indie label 4AD at just 19, Pixx released her first collection of music, Fall In, in 2015. An EP of four folk-infused torch songs, it is, by Rodgers’ own admission, a deeply personal collection writ of heartbreak and introspection. Fall In went down a storm amongst critics, with The Sunday Times calling it “one of the most arresting debuts of the year.” The critical attention helped her secure crucial slots at Glastonbury and Latitude festivals, whilst she was also invited to perform with the likes of Daughter, Lush and Glass Animals amongst others.

Her ambitious debut album, The Age Of Anxiety is to be released on 9th June and represents the first true statement from a unique British talent, drawing on deeply personal experiences to present a bold, relatable new commentary on her world order.

• CONFIDENCE MAN •

Australian 4 piece Confidence Man was a project shrouded in mystery when they made their debut live appearance and first radio play in Australia in September 16.

Drawing members from several well know Australian indie acts, The Jungle Giants, The Belligerents and Moses Gun Collective, the 4 members: Janet Planet, Sugar Bones, Reggie Goodchild and Clarence McGuffie stormed the Big Sound Music conference with a live set and group of songs that had industry people chattering.

In a few short months they have graced the stages of key indie festivals Laneway, Golden Plains and GTM and set alternative radio station Triple J alight with high rotation spins on their debut single Boyfriend (repeat). 

The release of huge single Bubblegum in February marked the second instalment in the unfolding chapter of Confidence Man, give it a listen below. 

 It’s easy to see why the band have been marked as one of the acts to watch in 2017 by many media outlets in Australia.

It’s time to get confident, man.