After spending a fair time away, Lime Cordiale made their hometown return with a laid back concert at the Metro Theatre. It was undeniably different to their usual shows, and a little bit less incestuous (if you know, you know). I had seen them before, and their musical talent was astounding. This time around was a more chilled out show, with less theatrics than they typically have.
Louis and Oliver Leimbach were sitting on stage with nothing but their acoustic guitars and a backing band. Opening the show with one of my personal favourites from their latest album, Lime Cordiale played ‘Pedestal’ — a very good way to get the crowd swaying and head bobbing. ‘Enough Of The Sweet Talk’, their most recent album released in 2024, has a synthpop touch to it that is quite distinctive when compared to their previous albums. Of course, the duo played their most popular song, ‘Temper Temper’. They “know that that’s what [we] like”!
Following the opening songs after getting all the new and original fans excited, Lime Cordiale did their famous cover of Divinyls’ ‘I Touch Myself’. The band are known not only for their easy-going indie tunes, but also for their playful — and often, sexual — energy at their shows. Performing a cover of ‘I Touch Myself’ at every show is a clear sign of this. Moving on to a more serious and touching part of the show, the duo told the crowd the story behind their song ‘Colin’ — a beautiful ballad that was initially inspired by Colin Hay. They explained how they had met Hay in Los Angeles, and left having become good friends with him.
Strategically pulling up the energy through their next few songs, the duo had my friend Sienna and I giving each other the odd look and giggle — particularly when they played ‘Strangers’. The line “Crazy like her Mother” had us simultaneously screaming “US!”. Sorry Mum! Following on with a lovely acoustic version of ‘Waking Up Easy’, the Metro Theatre was filled with phone lights swaying. It felt fittingly wholesome for the return of the duo to the venue.
The brothers finished off their set with two of their hits, ‘Inappropriate Behaviour’ and ‘Robbery’. The loudness from the crowd bellowing “Wait, that’s her! Stop that girl!” has been playing in my head ever since. Oliver Leimbach shared that $1 of proceeds from each ticket will go to Surfers for Climate, an organisation that focuses on empowering sea-roots movements in order to tackle the ever-looming climate crisis. Lime Cordiale have always used their platform to push for climate action and the importance of making active efforts to build and take control of the movement.
This led them into their encore song, ‘No Plans to Make Plans’. The song unravels the reality of our society’s self-sufficient interests. It’s a powerful song critiquing the narrative that society discusses standing up and fighting back, but with no material plan-to-action.
“You dwell upon frustrations
But all you say is that “we” need to help”
“You have no plans
To make plans
You have no plans
That don’t directly affect you”
As a whole, the concert was a wholesome night in a chilled-out environment. The duo stuck to their values when performing, engaging with the audience more than they would in their usual show. The stripped back theatrics allowed for the feeling of mutual love and connection between the pair and the crowd. All in all, a wonderful show by a wonderful duo.
