Review: That Indie Sound Still Grooves

Beach Fossils at Oxford Art Factory, 26 April 2023 with The Moving Stills
Review and images by Michael Ryan

For those new to it, indie pop is synonymous with a jangly flair on lead guitar. Music that ebbs and flows, something that dances through the air. It is light, but poetically melancholy.

For the crowd at the Oxford Art Factory, indie pop was on the menu and magnificently served.

The Moving Stills glamorously began the night. Opening for Beach Fossils, the four piece hailing from the Central Coast performed groovy surf rock with iconic indie pop notes. The band had the crowd transfixed. Their mellow tunes coupled with frontman Tom Mahler’s long blonde hair flowed throughout the set. The Moving Stills top track waste my time got the crowd swaying, bringing up the energy for the headline Beach Fossils.

Between each track bassist Tommy Davidson and lead vocal Dustin Payseur would have witty banter that invited the audience an intimate look into the band. Their indie pop sound was heavily procured through their guitarists but what shun brightest was their drummer Anton Hoccheim.

Overall, a stellar performance from both bands at the Oxford art factory, it’s underground setting really made you feel like you were at the epicentre of music. It allowed you to feel how music should be played, UNAPOLOGETICALLY LOUD.