It’s always fun to have international acts grace Transit Bar with their presence, and we were particularly lucky to have Canadian indie pop band Paper Lions swing by on the last performance of their Australian tour. The night featured an abundance of Fender guitars, vocal reverb and a whole lot of talent.

Saint Abbé (Sydney) opened the night, with breathy vocals, simple guitar riffs, and moments of interesting drums and bass. The lead singer finished the set standing on a table – while it may have been a little early in the night for such shenanigans, it’s always good to see musicians enjoying themselves.

Nova & the Experience (also Sydney) was the second band of the evening, made up of a very talented bunch of people. The brother-sister singing combination added that extra element that only a family combination can bring. They even had mum on the road with them selling merch – a very sweet touch.

Paper Lions marked the start of their set with lead singer (/guitarist/keyboard player) John MacPhee standing alone on the stage, backed by a drum machine, and serenading us with the first verse of Bodies in the winter. The band trickled in and joined in as the song built, and the set really got underway.

There was a lot of audience participation throughout Paper Lions’ set, with MacPhee encouraging everyone to sing along at opportune moments. The first of these songs was Sweat it out, featuring group singing, grunge guitar and a rock anthem vibe that perfectly complemented their generally clean pop sound.

As a testament to Paper Lions’ impressive, well-practiced stage show, Stay Here For a While contained a special performance of instrument swaps! Guitarist Colin Buchanan moved over to the bass, bass player Rob MacPhee moved on to drums, and drummer David Cyrus MacDonald moved to the front of the stage to pull out an amazing bongo solo that he seemed to be enjoying as much as the audience was.

Philadelphia was beautiful, with all four band members standing along the front of the stage, their incredible vocals and harmonies silencing the audience, everyone in awe. And indeed this feature was showcased further when the band ditched their instruments save one acoustic guitar and ventured into the middle of the audience, performing the beautiful Polly Hill with perfect harmonies, and a choral backing from the audience who were gathered around (yes, this topped Husky’s acoustic audience-surrounded performance last year). It was heartfelt, it was emotional, it was altogether amazing.

This was followed up with a punchy return to the stage, as band and audience attempted to channel their 16-year-old selves (as requested by John MacPhee) for the upbeat song about youth, Sandcastles. By now, the audience members were starting to stand, beckoned from their seats to in front of the stage by the sheer energy provided by the band. Every single song played suited the Transit Bar setting perfectly. Not only did their album translate to a live performance, but it exploded in a way that made it impossible for the audience not to smile.

There was no encore, which was wonderfully refreshing. Their final song was the title track of their latest album My Friend. John MacPhee sang the lyrics, “I know you are my friend, and if I never met you, I would be different,” to each and every audience member and we believed him in all his sincerity. It was a very happy and fitting ending to a perfect night.

This was such a memorable way to start the year – let it be a sign of things to come!