The Preatures @ Miami Marketta- 23/08/2018

With nine shows left to go on The Preatures ‘MAGICK’ tour, one would assume the band would be all worn out. That was certainly not the case for lead singer Izzi Manfredi who bopped and jumped around the stage all night while Thomas Champion, Jack Moffit and Luke Davison shredded behind her. Supported by Melbourne songstress Ali Barter, the energy of the show did not stop until the very last chord, and left the audience giddy with adrenaline.
The show was hosted at one of the Gold Coast’s most popular music venues, Miami Marketta (voted Venue of the Year 2018 by Gold Coast Music Awards). The sound and atmosphere at the venue was close to perfect. This was great for Ali Barter’s performance, whose incredible vocals cut through the mix and showcased her sweet voice over the grungy guitar tone. Ali Barter was accompanied by a drummer, a lead guitarist, and interestingly, herself on bass. Together they created a rock sound like no other. 

Ali’s stage presence was intriguing and encapsulating. Her somewhat awkward demeanour was charming and it was easy to relate to her lyrical content for this reason. Given the narrative structure of her lyrics, the stage banter in-between songs was appropriate. She gave a few back stories and anecdotes about the process of writing and touring. Her sweet tone dominated the powerful chord progressions, and this contrast made for an interesting mixture. She was belting some fairly high notes, and still managed to sound as smooth as butter sliding down hot toast. It’s clear that Ali Barter’s talent carried the show. 

The Preatures burst onto the stage next. Being their 31st show on their Australian tour, they knew exactly how to get the crowd energised and ready to journey through the music. Donned in milk-maid inspired dress and white knee-high boots, Izzi Manfredi was a frontwoman to be reckoned with. She had a sexy, confident and playful energy throughout the entire set. The way she had the audience wrapped around her finger was inspiring to say the least. This was complimented by the chemistry between band members. Izzi interacted with every member in a different way and it was interesting to watch. They are clearly a group of very seasoned musicians and performers.

The band opened the set with 'Girlhood' which set the tone for the rest of the evening. The instruments were super tight, producing eighties guitar riffs and punchy, driving drum lines. They had the same energy that is portrayed in the recorded tracks, besides the lead guitar parts getting a little lost towards the start of the set. Izzi soon solved the problem by asking for more guitar in the mix. They followed this with all their hits. Crowd favourites were ‘Somebody’s Talking’, ‘Is This How You Feel?’ and a crazy cover of ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again’ by The Angels.

The band respectfully paid tribute to aboriginal culture with their second last song 'Yanada', and reinforced that we should integrate the English language with the language and culture of those who owned the land before us. It’s always awesome when bands use their popularity to spread an important message. Hopefully, The Preatures can inspire other popular Australian acts to do the same. 

Both The Preatures and Ali Barter truly carry with them a fiery love for making music and delivering it to us in the best way. The crowd left feeling like they were a part of something special – and they were! The Preatures live show is one of a kind. ​​

​Words by Anna Leathem